Russian troops seize the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe
Russia has taken control of the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, considered the largest nuclear complex in Europe. Throughout the night, Russian troops reportedly set a fire at the nuclear plant, which was extinguished in the early hours of the morning. After the attack, the local authorities managed to extinguish the fire and reported that the offensive left no casualties or injuries.
The Russian seizure of the nuclear power plant has aggravated the current conflict situation. For international leaders, the offensive "directly threatens the security of the whole of Europe" and would have posed "a grave danger" if the flames had reached the reactor, which according to the Ukrainian authorities did not happen.
???? #Ukraine | Esta noche Rusia bombardea la central nuclear de #Zaporizhzhya en #Energodar durante el bombardeo se desató un incendio que ya está controlado
— Atalayar (@Atalayar_) March 4, 2022
??☢️La planta nuclear más grande de Europa está bajo el control ruso pic.twitter.com/PNoAjN1ot9
However, Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky goes further and accuses Moscow of having committed "nuclear terrorism" and of wanting to repeat the "Chernobyl catastrophe". The Ukrainian leader said that "Europe must wake up and save the world from a nuclear catastrophe (...) there are 15 nuclear power units in Ukraine, if they explode, Europe will face death". After the attack, Zelensky held a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. They concluded that President Putin's actions threaten, among other things, the security of the entire European continent.
Ukraine's energy minister, Herman Galuschenko, has also taken the same line, warning that the world "is on the brink of the greatest nuclear catastrophe in history". On his Facebook page, Galuschenko wrote that "the aggressor continues to deliver crushing blows to Ukraine. It is stopped neither by thousands of victims nor by tragedies. Now they want to destroy the whole world.
All this comes at a time when Russian troops continue to launch offensives in Ukraine. After the fall of Kherson, the Russian army is now moving towards Odessa, another strategic enclave due to its proximity to the Black Sea. On the other side, Kiev continues to resist. The Ukrainian army and citizens, encouraged by Zelensky's speeches, are holding out against a Russian army that is so far unable to take control of the Ukrainian capital.
Zelensky has also openly declared his willingness to sit down and talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Sit with me at the negotiating table, like Macron or Scholz, I am a neighbour. I don't bite (...) I am a normal man, sit with me, talk, what are you afraid of, I am not a terrorist", Zelensky told the media, sitting down and with clear signs of exhaustion.
Ukraine continues to resist an unstoppable Russia whose next move is unknown. The seizure of the nuclear power plant is a turning point and sets off alarm bells around the world, which is worried that the nuclear threat could become a reality, a scenario that would be catastrophic.
It is nine days since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The seizure of the nuclear power plant has prompted US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to adopt a more militaristic tone, declaring that "our alliance is defensive, but if conflict comes to us, we are prepared and will defend every inch of NATO territory". What happens in the near future is unknown and depends on what moves Moscow decides to make.
For the time being, the most recent negotiations have resulted in the approval of a ceasefire to establish humanitarian corridors through which thousands of civilians can leave. The Ukrainian government has so far reported thousands of deaths and more than 900,000 refugees since the invasion began.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also declared that this event demonstrates "the recklessness of war". Meanwhile, the United States and the West continue to pass economic sanctions against Russia, and companies such as Apple, Nike and Adidas have stopped operating on Russian territory.
As for arms shipments, of the 27 countries belonging to the European Union, 20 of them, including Spain, will send arms to Ukraine, thus breaking their policy of not sending arms, which was defended at the beginning of the invasion.
