Highlights

• Russian shelling set a five-story building ablaze while one of the six nuclear power units was working
• The fire was subsequently put out and Russia is now in possession of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant
• Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy harkened back to the Chernobyl disaster

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is now safe, say Ukranian officials, after a fire broke at a training facility due to shelling from Russia. Radiation levels are now reportedly normal.

Russia forces were said to have begun the attack in the wee hours of Friday, March 4. Russian shelling set a five-story building ablaze while one of the six nuclear power units was working. The building was reportedly at the plant’s perimeter.

The fire was subsequently put out and Russia is now in possession of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant. The invasion is now in its ninth day and reportedly over a million refugees have since fled Ukraine.

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US President Joe Biden urged Russia to give emergency personnel and firefighters access to contain the fire, as per the White House. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that acts as the United Nations’ watchdog on nuclear matters said they were in “full 24/7 response mode.”

Previously, Russia had taken over the infamous Chernobyl power plant, the site of history’s greatest nuclear disaster under the USSR. Many may recall that one of the first signs of the disaster was a fire that needed to be contained.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy harkened back to the Chernobyl disaster in what seemed a dear appeal to Europeans. He said no one has ever fired upon nuclear units except Russia and warned that the situation could become worse than at Chernobyl, labeling it “nuclear terror.”

How close did it get to becoming a nuclear disaster?

It should be noted that as of now the plant is working as normal, staff present at their stations, as per Ukranian authorities. IAEA’s head was “deeply concerned” about the situation but said Ukraine authorities had assured him all the vital equipment was unaffected.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm informed that there was no sign of raised radiation at the site. Mrs. Granholm on Thursday had mentioned “robust containment structures” securing the reactors that were then being safely shutdown.

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How could Russia seizing Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant impact the world?

That said, given the context of Chernobyl, when the situation occurred, it caused fears of a nuclear disaster. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while the situation was occurring, called Vladimir Putin’s actions “reckless” and possibly a direct threat to the safety of the European continent.

Mr. Johnson seeks a meeting with the UN Security Council. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attacks “horrific” and “unacceptable” and called on Russia to stop them immediately.

Also read: Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Experts have condemned the attack on a nuclear facility as unprecedented. Were radioactivity had escaped, the area would have been contaminated for many years. It is worth mentioning, the Chernobyl plant is now surrounded by a 19-mile exclusion zone devoid of human life.

Meanwhile, the situation caused Asian financial markets to plummet.

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Bottom line

Earlier, hit with biting sanctions and the ruble tumbling, Mr. Putin told Russia’s deterrence forces, which comprises of its nuclear weapons, to go on “special alert”, alleging “aggressive statements” from Western leaders. The US called it “unacceptable escalation” as Western leaders have consistently maintained that NATO troops will not be sent into Ukraine.

It is certainly a tricky diplomatic situation, with the humanitarian aspect for the people of Ukraine on one side and the West not engaging with direct combat with nuclear-armed Russia on the other. Foreign ministers in the West will meet Friday in Brussels. UK Foreign Secretary called it, "one of the biggest days of diplomacy."  

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