Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of attacks around the plant that the United Nations considers “suicidal”
“Any attack on a nuclear plant is suicidal.” The appointment, emphatic, belongs to the secretary general of the UN, the Portuguese António Guterres. “Ukraine and Russia are playing with fire”, he criticized this Monday from Tokyo, after having participated over the weekend in the acts of homage for the 77th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the first atomic bomb attack in history. . His warning came after the escalation of clashes between kyiv and Moscow, which are accused of attacking the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. “I hope that these attacks end and, at the same time, I hope that the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) can have access to the plant and exercise its entrusted powers,” which go through guaranteeing the stability of the plant, the president added. Portuguese.
The paradox is that the two opposing parties in the conflict are aware of the delicate situation, but neither of them acknowledges being the author of the attacks. “There is no nation in the world that can feel safe when a terrorist state shoots at a nuclear plant. God forbid, but something irreparable could happen and no one will stop the wind that will spread radioactive contamination,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Monday. Therefore, he called for a response “now” from the international community. A very similar message to the one launched by the Kremlin. His spokesman, Dimitri Peskov, called on the countries “with absolute influence” over kyiv to intercede to end the attacks.
The plant is located in the city of Energodar, in the south of the country, in the Zaporizhia region. It was taken by Russian troops at the dawn of the invasion, in early March. It is currently guarded by some 500 Russian soldiers and 50 heavy vehicles, tanks and trucks, according to the head of the Ukrainian nuclear agency -Energoatom-, Petro Kotin. When it was conquered, the international community was alerted by the successive bombings that took place in its surroundings.
The tension returned to the area last Friday. kyiv and Moscow hold each other responsible for a series of attacks on the plant’s reactors. On Saturday one of them – he has six – had to be stopped after being hit. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that the latest bombing, which took place on the night of Saturday to Sunday, damaged a high-voltage line that provided electricity to two Ukrainian regions. The plant is especially vulnerable because it remains connected to the electrical system by a single line, which is dangerous since if it is permanently cut off from the system, the installations would be exposed. A scenario that you want to avoid at all costs.
Ukrainian troops have destroyed a strategic bridge in Kherson, where they continue their counteroffensive
“There should be a peacekeeping mission that also includes experts from the IAEA and other security organizations,” Kotin requested on Monday. The head of Energoatom also advocated creating a “demilitarized zone” around the plant’s premises. “If the situation gets out of control, it will be like Fukushima or Chernobyl,” he warned.
The nuclear plant has attracted all eyes in recent days due to the enormous disaster that could occur if either of the two sides in the conflict makes a miscalculation. But the war continues on other fronts. One of them is Kherson, a region that borders precisely on Zaporizhia. Ukrainian forces continue their counteroffensive launched last week to retake control of the region, which is occupied by Russian troops. This Monday they destroyed the Antonovski and Kajovski bridges, as confirmed by the spokeswoman for the southern command of the Ukrainian Army, Natalia Gumeniuk.
Both infrastructures are strategic points, but especially the first, the Antonovski Bridge. Located on the Dnipro River, on the outskirts of the city of Kherson, it is key to supplying the town as it is the only one that connects the south bank of the river with the rest of the region. kyiv has already partially destroyed the crucial infrastructure in another bombing on July 27. The area is strategic as it borders the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014. By occupying Kherson, Russia was able to connect both territories.
electoral commissions
The pro-Russian authorities in Kherson, and since Monday also in Zaporizhia, have created electoral commissions with a view to holding referendums on the adhesion of both regions to Russia, as happened in Crimea eight years ago. The plebiscite was not recognized by the international community but it ‘de facto’ incorporated the peninsula into Russian territory. Now Moscow plans to do the same with Kherson and Zaporizhia. Consultations are scheduled for September.
“If the occupiers follow the path of these ‘pseudo-referendums’, any possibility of negotiation with Ukraine and the free world will be closed,” threatened Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned that “all those who help the occupiers will answer to Ukraine. “We will not give anything of our own,” settled the Ukrainian leader.
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