UN atomic agency says shooting at Ukrainian nuclear power plant did not affect basic equipment

A fire at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has not affected basic equipment at the facility, according to the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency.

Ukrainian officials said earlier that Russian forces had bombed the factory, prompting Ukraine’s foreign minister to call for a ceasefire so authorities could secure the area.

“A fire has already broken out. If it explodes, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl! The Russians must immediately stop the fire, let the firefighters in, create a security zone!”, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on twitterreferring to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation at the plant Thursday evening Washington time, according to the White House.

“President Biden joined President Zelensky in urging Russia to cease its military activities in the region and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site,” the White House said in a statement.

Mr. Biden also spoke with senior US nuclear security officials about the incident.

International Atomic Energy Agency He said on Twitter He was in contact with the Ukrainian authorities and that the Ukrainian organizers told the agency that no changes in radiation levels were reported at the site.

The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke with Ukrainian officials about the incident. an agency He said on Twitter It calls for “a moratorium on the use of force and warns of grave danger if reactors are hit”.

Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed concern about Safety of Ukraine’s nuclear plantsnoting that the Russian military forces were advancing at the Zaporizhzhya facility.

The plant is located near the city of Enerhodar in the southeastern part of Ukraine.