Just days after Russia seized Chernobyl, which was once the site of a nuclear meltdown, the Russian military seized the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine, which is Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant.  The struggle to seize the power plant caused parts of it to go up in flames, which Ukrainian government officials have called a threat to ‘world security’.

The Daily Mail Reports–

 

 

 

“The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest of its kind in Europe, was on fire in the early hours of Friday morning after an attack by Russian troops, the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar said.

A live feed from the station showed flames at the site in the east of country, having earlier showed tanks firing at buildings – sparking fears of a radiation disaster in the nation currently under invasion by Russian forces.

There has been fierce fighting between local forces and Russian troops, the mayor – Dmytro Orlov – said in an online post reporting the fire, adding that there had been casualties without giving details.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest of its kind in Europe, and accounts for about one quarter of Ukraine’s power generation.

‘As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire,’ Orlov said on his Telegram channel, citing what he called a threat to world security.”

Ukrainian citizens reportedly attempted to join the defense of the power plant, with some throwing molotov cocktails at the Russian military.  Russia allegedly fired at civilians who resisted the occupation of the nuclear plant.

Last week, Russia seized Chernobyl.  During the conflict, a Russian artillery shell hit a nuclear waste repository, which caused an increase in radioactivity and could cause radioactive dust to spread over Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other parts of Eastern Europe.