Ukraine’s SLOVIANSK (AP) On Sunday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged allegations of missile and artillery attacks at or close to Europe’s largest nuclear power station, escalating concerns that the battle could harm the facility and result in a significant radiation spill.
Soon after the war started, Russian forces seized control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and still hold land along the wide Dnieper River’s left bank.
The months-long nuclear negotiations, which started in April 2021, have just reached a turning point that might lead to a deal or more postponements.
The European Union’s plan, which aims to establish a final deal, is currently being evaluated by interested parties, mainly Washington and Brussels.
According to Konashenkov, who added that radiation levels were normal, one missile fell in the vicinity of the sixth power unit and the other five in front of the sixth unit pumping station, which supplies cooling for this reactor.
According to Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, heavy gunfire during the night left certain areas of Nikopol without electricity.
According to Yevhen Yevtushenko, the administrative director for the district that contains the city of around 45,000, rocket attacks in Marhanets destroyed about a dozen homes.
Russian fire also damaged dozens of residences and apartment buildings in the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) up the Dnieper River from the nuclear facility, during the night, according to municipal council member Anatoliy Kurtev. Two people were also injured.
According to Konashenkov, Russian forces attacked a Zaporizhzhia repair facility for Ukrainian air force helicopters.
Neither side’s statements could be independently verified.
According to Vladimir Leontyev, the leader of the Russian-installed local government, Ukrainian rockets fired downstream from the nuclear plant struck the Kakhovka hydropower plant and nearby city three times on Sunday.
A significant river crossing and possibly crucial Russian supply route is the plants dam.
The dam creates a reservoir that stores water for the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
No injuries were recorded from shelling that hit the sizable and strategically crucial cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, where Russian and separatist forces are attempting to seize control, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region. According to Konashenkov, 250 Ukrainian soldiers and reservists were killed by Russian missile strikes in and around Sloviansk.
In keeping with their policy of not discussing losses, Ukrainian officials made no comments regarding the claim.
Kostiantyn Daineko, a resident of Slovansk, told The Associated Press that as he was about to nod off, an explosion blew out the windows of his flat.
When I opened my eyes, the window frame and shards of broken glass were flying around me, he claimed.
Much of the Donetsk region, one of two places Russia has acknowledged as independent nations, is controlled by Russian and rebel forces.
Authorities began handing out iodine tablets to local Zaporizhzhia plant neighbours last week as a precaution against radiation exposure.
A major source of concern is the plant’s nuclear reactor cooling systems. As mandated by the protocols, the facility was briefly shut down on Thursday owing to what officials claimed to be transmission line fire damage. Possible causes of a nuclear meltdown include a malfunctioning cooling system.
The infrastructure of the power plants has been harmed by repeated bombardment, according to Ukraine’s nuclear power operator Energoatom on Saturday.
According to the report, there is a high fire risk, a risk of hydrogen leaking, and a risk of radioactive materials sparking.
It was unclear when a team from the U. N. atomic energy agency will visit the facility after trying to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities to send a team to assess and safeguard it.This story has been updated to reflect that the Sloviansk resident’s first name is Kostiantyn and not Konstiantyn.
Russian and Ukrainian claims of nuclear plant attacks are traded.
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