Source: Global Times
[Sui Xin, Liu Yupeng, special correspondent of the Global Times in Russia] The authorities of the Ukrainian city of Energodar said on the 7th that the Ukrainian army attacked the Zaporozhia nuclear power plant located in the city in the early morning of the same day. Just this past weekend, Russia and Ukraine were accusing each other of being "terrorist acts" because the nuclear power plant was shelled twice on the 5th. This is not the first spat between Russia and Ukraine over the attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Shells frequently landed at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, increasingly unsettling the region and the world. On the 6th, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a warning on the threat of nuclear disaster, calling for "must stop" and requesting the dispatch of a team of experts. However, the United States and the West clearly cannot wait for the investigation of the truth of the matter, and they have used this as the latest pretext to condemn Russia.
Shell fragments fell less than 400 meters from the reactor
According to the Russian Tasha news agency reported on the 7th, a source from the Military and Civil Administration of Aenegorgordar City said that the Ukrainian army attacked the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant with "hurricane" multiple rockets in the early morning of the same day, and the shell fragments fell less than 400 meters away from the operating reactor. The attack damaged the administrative building and the adjacent area of the storage facility. Just two days earlier, the plant had been shelled twice.
"Military action that endangers the safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is totally unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs ... Stop immediately. CNN reported that International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Grossi said on the 6th that he was extremely worried about the shelling of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, saying that this was a real threat that could trigger a nuclear disaster. The agency again urged Russia and Ukraine to allow the panel of experts access to the nuclear power plant to help ensure safety.
According to the Russian newspaper Kommerskaya, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and its vicinity have been under the control of the Russian military since March, but it is still managed by the Ukrainian State Nuclear Power Company, where Ukrainian experts work. Previously, the plant had been attacked several times. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the shelling on the 5th caused a fire in the hydrogen pipeline of the nuclear power plant, which was subsequently extinguished. Some of the equipment in unit three of the nuclear power plant was cut off, the power of unit four was reduced, and two high-voltage power lines and a water pipe were destroyed.
Russian Satellite News Agency quoted Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Command Center, as saying on the 7th that if an accident occurs at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, it will be a global man-made disaster, and the scale of its radioactive pollution will greatly exceed the consequences of the accidents at the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants. The coastal areas of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania will all be exposed to radioactive contamination, with an area of more than 5,300 square kilometers and the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait being unnectable for a long time.
Russia and Ukraine criticize "terrorism"
For the latest attack on the 7th, Russia and Ukraine have not yet expressed their position. But on the shelling on the 5th, the two sides blamed each other. According to the Ukrainian News Agency reported on the 6th, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy released a video speech on the social platform on the evening of the 5th, criticizing Russia for firing at the Zaporozhian nuclear power plant twice a day, "creating an extremely dangerous situation for everyone in Europe." He called it a "blatant crime and terrorist act" and was not only another reason to list Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism," but also a basis for supporting the imposition of severe sanctions on the entire Russian nuclear industry.
On the evening of the 6th, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a notice saying that the Ukrainian side fired a total of 20 152-millimeter shells on the 5th and carried out two rounds of shelling on the zaporozhye nuclear power plant area." Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament), Kosachev, said that under international law, the attack of the Ukrainian army on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant can be characterized as an "act of nuclear terrorism", and they will carry out systematic attacks on the Zaporozhian nuclear power plant as a means of war.
It's hard to determine which side is telling the truth, but the West has quickly joined the criticism of Russia. The EU condemned Russia for "conducting military activities around the plant". Eu High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell posted on Twitter on the 6th, claiming that this is "another example of Russia's disregard for international norms." Britain's Defense Ministry said Russia was using the area to launch an attack — with the "protected state" of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant — to reduce the risk of a nighttime attack by Ukrainian troops.
"Europe should thank Russia," the newspaper Izvestia quoted Kovitti, a member of the Russian Federation Council, as saying that it is necessary for the international community to recognize that the systematic attack of the Ukrainian army on the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant poses a fatal danger to the entire European continent. Because of the protection of the Russian army, Europeans were protected from the nuclear catastrophe caused by the crazy actions of Ukraine.
The West has new concerns
For the battlefield situation, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashenkov said on the 7th that in the Nikolaev area, the Russian army destroyed an arsenal of 45,000 tons of ammunition stored, which was recently delivered to the Ukrainian army by NATO countries.
The US CNBC website quoted the Ukrainian military as saying that the Russian army began to attack two major cities in the Donetsk region on the 6th - Bakhmut and Avdivka, and continued to shell other cities in Ukraine. The two cities have long been considered the main targets of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Analysts say the Russians must take Bakhmut if they want to advance to the regional centers of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
The British Ministry of Defence believes that Russia's military operations in Ukraine are about to enter a new phase, because most of the fighting has been transferred to Kherson in southwestern Ukraine. According to the British Sky News Network reported on the 7th, the intelligence released by the British Ministry of Defense shows that the Russian army is assembling in the direction of Kherson - a large convoy of Russian military trucks, towing artillery and other transport equipment withdrew from the Donbass region and drove in the direction of Kherson. Meanwhile, the British Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops were increasingly targeting bridges, ammunition depots and railways in its southern region, including strategic railways linking Kherson and Russian-controlled Crimea.
In addition to the battlefield, Western countries are also worried about the deepening relations between NATO member Turkey and Russia. The Financial Times reported on the 7th that 6 Western officials told the newspaper that they were uneasy about Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan promised to expand trade and energy cooperation after meeting in Sochi on the 5th. An EU official said EU member states are paying closer attention to Turkish-Russian cooperation. Another official directly criticized Turkey's actions as "very speculative." They even warned of retaliation against Turkey. A Western official said that if Erdogan complied with the consensus reached with Russia, countries could call on their companies and banks to withdraw from Turkey. The Financial Times said it was a highly unusual threat from NATO against its members.