Russian forces are “firing from all sides” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s southeast, officials said in the early hours of Friday, with fire having broken out at the site.
In a video posted just before 4 a.m. local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian tanks were firing on the power plant, and appealed “to all Ukrainians, to all Europeans, to all people who know the word Chernobyl,” referring to the nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said there were six nuclear reactors at the Zaporizhzhia plant, while in Chernobyl, only “one nuclear reactor” had caused a catastrophe.
Zelenskyy said that “for the first time in human history” Russia was threatening to hit Ukraine with a “nuclear strike.” He added: “Now it is not a threat, now it is a reality, and we do not know … where this will end.”
Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar, had earlier posted a desperate plea on social media, saying the attack on Zaporizhzhia was “a threat to world security,” and adding that “as a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units” the plant was on fire. In a follow-up video, Orlov warned “firefighters cannot get to the scene.” Earlier, the mayor had posted a video of what appeared to be heavy shelling in the area. Fire and shelling was visible in a livestream from the power plant on YouTube.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Twitter that it was “aware of reports of shelling” at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is the largest of its kind in Europe and supplies around a quarter of Ukraine’s energy. It later added that it had put its Incident and Emergency Centre “in full 24/7 response mode” due to the “serious situation.”
The IAEA said its Director General Rafael Grossi had spoken with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and with the Ukrainian nuclear regulator and the plant’s operator about the “serious situation,” and warned of “severe danger if reactors hit.” But the agency said Ukraine’s nuclear regulator had thus far said “there has been no change reported in radiation levels” at the site.
“Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. He added: “Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!”
In his video, Zelenskyy said he had already spoken with several world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda and European Council President Charles Michel.
The White House readout said “Biden joined President Zelenskyy in urging Russia to cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site.”
In the U.K. readout, Prime Minister Johnson said he had spoken with Zelenskyy about the “gravely concerning” situation, and was seeking an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting. Johnson warned that “the reckless actions” of Russian President Vladimir Putin “could now directly threaten the safety of all of Europe,” according to the readout.
This story has been updated.
Eleni Courea contributed reporting.