Both Kyiv and Moscow are accusing one another of putting Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, at risk. The charges come amid intensifying air and artillery strikes in the region.
Russian troops are reportedly using the power station as a shield for staging men and materiel to wage its war of aggression in the region. Moscow purports that Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the facility with U.S. weapons.
CBS News has more:
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Energoatom state nuclear company said Friday that Russian troops planned to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian power grid, according to Reuters. In a statement, Energoatom said it thinks Moscow was preparing to carry out a “large-scale provocation” there.
Moscow had asserted on Thursday that Kyiv was setting up a “provocation” at the plant.
Following a visit to Ukraine on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Zelenskyy had asked him to ensure that Russia remove weapons stored at the plant as an “important step for world peace.”
Erdogan has maintained diplomatic relations with Ukraine and Russia throughout Russia's invasion and promised to discuss Zelenskyy's concerns with Putin.
The Turkish president made the comments to a group of Turkish journalists on his return from a visit with Zelenskyy and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in Ukraine late on Thursday. His comments were reported by Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency and other media on Friday.
The Washington Post reported on Friday of a growing evacuation in the area surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, though nuclear experts told CNN that a Chernobyl-size calamity is incredibly unlikely.
Still, the distinct possibility of a localized meltdown cannot be dismissed.
Russian forces have occupied Zaporizhzhia and the power station since March 4.
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1 wrong shell or rocket hit & then Boom
100X worse than Cherynobl
PWR design. Would have to penetrate both containment and reactor vessel–extremely unlikely.
Who would be stupid enough to fire artillery or missiles at a nuclear facility? Oh yeah, a comedian in a tee shirt.
Russia has captured the area so the plant is theirs … like it or not. And no, let’s use some logic here, they are not shelling themselves. Sorry Ukraine. Yes they are setting up more and more troops adjacent to the power plant to defend it against the ever disparate Ukrainian military, which is shelling the plant. Fortunately, the Ukrainians can barely hit the side of a barn with a baseball bat. Also ridiculous, is the idea that Russia needs the area of the nuclear power plant to assist in their military campaign. They have the whole southland (Kherson region and more)
Our leaders in America from Biden to Blinken are infantile fools. They are pushing western woke fascism on the world. They were using their favorite corrupt money laundering country run by an installed cocaine addict to try to blackmail Russia into becoming a vassal of the West. It was a horrible mistake. The foolish garbage visited on the American people by these children who have been installed as leaders here in the US also extends to the countries of the world. Thank God that some nations are now saying ,” enough is enough! Godspeed to them.
Someone expects a comedian in a tee shirt to be responsible for overseeing a large nuclear energy facility?