Russia’s military launched a fierce attack on Friday and took control over Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, following a fight with Ukrainian troops that caused the training building on their grounds to catch fire. According to the chief of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency, a Russian projectile hit the plant’s training center, not any of the six reactors.
While the blaze at the Zaporizhzhia plant, in southeast Ukraine, was extinguished, it alarmed international authorities over possible damage done and potential release of radiation. Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator said however, that no changes in radiation levels have been recorded so far.
“We don’t see any radioactive leakage,” a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to NBC News, adding that the attack underscored the recklessness of Russia’s offensive.
Authorities also said that Russian troops had taken control of the plant and that only one reactor was operating, running at 60% of capacity.
Meanwhile, with the invasion entering its second week, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament said Friday that Russia’s attack on the nuclear plant “clearly demonstrates the need to introduce a no-fly zone as soon as possible in order to protect not only Ukraine, but Europe as a whole.”
The head of NATO however, has ruled out the possibility for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, stating it would lead to a wider war in Europe.
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