New Delhi: Russian military forces have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant located southeast of Ukraine, a local authority told news agency Reuters. Russia's control over the nuclear power plant comes after the site caught fire in overnight clashes.
"Operational personnel are monitoring the condition of power units," Ukrainian nuclear inspectorate said on social media. It further added that "efforts sought to ensure the operations were in line with safety requirements."
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The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant which is Europe's largest nuclear power plant was attacked by Russian shelling early Friday, after which a fire broke out. The fire was extinguished, Ukraine Emergency services posted on their Facebook page noting that it required 40 people and 10 vehicles. There were no victims, they informed.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is in Enerhodar which is a city on the Dnieper River, it accounts for one-quarter of the country's power generation. The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar tweeted that since this power plant is the largest in Europe, it is much more power full than the one in Chernobyl.
The Russian forces battled to gain control, the Ukrainian city Enerhodar, on Thursday and gained ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea. Meanwhile, Ukrainian leaders called on citizens to rise up and wage guerrilla war against the invaders, according to AP reports.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Friday the reactors at Zaporizhzhia power station are protected by strong containment structures and reactors are being safely shut down.