Russian shelling of Europe's largest nuclear power plant on Friday prompted widespread dismay, with world leaders swiftly condemning the assault and the U.N. nuclear chief warning that we are in completely uncharted waters.
Russian military forces have taken control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, according to the nuclear agency of Ukraine.
Emergency services extinguished the fire at the site and radiation levels are normal. Two security personnel were injured in the attack.
Europe needs to wake up, said the President of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in a video statement that no country has ever shot at nuclear blocks except for Russia.
The Zaporizhzhya complex houses six of the country's 15 operational nuclear power reactor.
Half of the country's electricity comes from these.
The U.N. nuclear chief said on Friday that the projectile that hit Zaporizhzhya came from Russian forces.
The situation at the complex continues to be very tense and challenging, according to the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
There has been no release of radioactive material and all the safety systems at the plant were unaffected.
It is time for action and we need to do something about it.
The power units at Zaporizhzhia were being monitored to make sure they could operate safely, according to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.
It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its ninth day and amid conflicting reports about which side controls the strategically important Black Sea port city of Kherson.
Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the U.K., said that the reckless actions of Putin could threaten the safety of all of Europe.
The U.S. President urged Moscow to stop its military activities around the site, while Canada's Trudeau called the attacks unacceptable.
Due to the situation at the nuclear site, the IAEA put its incident and emergency centre in full response mode and appealed for a halt to the use of force.
The U.N. agency warned that the war between Russia and Ukraine had raised the risk of nuclear accidents and called for restraint.
The European Union's top diplomat said that the shelling and fire at the plant could endanger the whole of Europe.
Russian attacks in the vicinity of the nuclear power plants can have catastrophic consequences. They must stop immediately.
Zelenskyy called on European leaders to support him after a night of fighting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Friday that Russian military forces were firing on all sides at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl. The Russians must allow firefighters and establish a security zone.
The world's worst nuclear disaster was caused by an explosion and fire at the Chornobyl power plant. Russian troops took control of the area around the power plant.
The death toll from cancer caused by the Chornobyl disaster is estimated by the environmental group Greenpeace at close to 100,000.
The exclusion zone around the Chornobyl reactor disaster lies between the capital city of Kyiv and the border of the two countries.
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