Russia’s defense ministry said only luck had averted a radioactive accident after what it described as an artillery barrage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy though said Moscow was responsible and accused it of committing “an open, brazen crime, a terrorist act”. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register In a late-night speech he called for sanctions on the entire Russian nuclear industry. “It is purely a matter of security. Those who pose nuclear threats to other nations are certainly not capable of using nuclear technologies safely,” he said. The Russian Defense Ministry said the production capacity of one plant had been reduced and power to another had been cut. In addition, the nearby town of Enerhodar had power and water problems, he said. “Fortunately, the Ukrainian shells did not hit the oil and fuel facilities and the oxygen plant located nearby, thus avoiding a larger fire and a possible radiological accident,” the ministry said in a statement. Enerhodar and the nearby nuclear plant were seized by invading Russian troops in early March and remain close to the front lines. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday accused Moscow of using the plant as a shield for its forces, and Ukraine accused Russia of shelling its positions from positions near the power plant. “The possible consequences of hitting a functioning reactor are equivalent to using an atomic bomb,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said on Twitter. Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power company Energoatom said earlier that the plant was operating and no radioactive discharges had been detected. Two of the six reactors are still operating. Enerhodar’s Russia-based management said on Friday that power lines at the plant had been cut by a Ukrainian artillery attack. The facility continues to be operated by its Ukrainian technicians. Reuters was unable to verify reports on the battlefield. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said this week that contact with the plant was “fragile” and communications were not working on a daily basis. He appealed for access to see if it was a source of danger. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from Reuters. writing by Kevin Liffey and David Ljunggren. edited by Sandra Maler and Grant McCool Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
