How russia is hiding behind the “nuclear shield” and uses Zaporizhzhia NPP as a military base for shelling Ukrainians.

During his speech at Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference, at the UN Headquarters in New York, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused russia of using Zaporizhzhia NPP as a “nuclear shield” for attacks on Ukrainians. He called it “the height of irresponsibility”. The Secretary of State urged to “stand together in rejecting this”.

US Secretary of State stated:

The russian army is using Zaporizhzhia NPP as a “military base to fire at Ukrainians”.

The occupier is aware that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “cannot and will not fire back” to prevent an accident at the nuclear power plant.

 Moscow resorts to dangerous “saber-rattling” with nuclear weapons, and putin personally threatens the countries supporting Ukraine with consequences “that have never been seen in their entire history”. “That brings the notion of having a human shield to an entirely different and horrific level”.

On March 4, Zaporizhzhia NPP and its satellite town Enerhodar were seized by russian troops. The invaders turned the turbine hall of the first power unit of ZNPP into a military facility with about 500 russian soldiers, heavy equipment, tanks and explosives.

The entire arsenal of imported heavy equipment with ammunition is currently located with the equipment ensuring the turbine generator operation. The invaders’ military equipment has made it impossible for specialized firefighting and other equipment to access the turbine hall of the first power unit, which increases the risk of fire, and extinguishing it becomes extremely problematic.

Currently, the station is not controlled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Recently, shelling from “Grad” rocket launchers have been recorded from the surrounding area of the nuclear power plant and from the city of Enerhodar in the direction of Nikopol. The shelling resulted in deaths and injuries, damaged residential buildings, industrial enterprises and a hospital.

The russian occupying forces are now using the largest nuclear power plant in Europe as a military base for shelling Ukrainians, knowing that the Ukrainian Armed Forces cannot and will not shoot back, as in this case there is a high probability of hitting the nuclear reactor or highly radioactive waste in the storage facility.

Experts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that Russian troops are using the ZNPP to increase the fear of a nuclear catastrophe in Europe and reduce the willingness of Western countries to provide military support to the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russian nuclear terrorists’ actions at ZNPP and in temporarily occupied Enerhodar, constant missile attacks on the territory of Ukraine using the territory of radiation-hazardous facilities pose an unprecedented threat to nuclear safety of Ukraine, Europe and the whole world.

Noteworthy, in addition to reactor facilities, the nuclear hazard at Zaporizhzhia NPP is also posed by the dry spent fuel storage facility, which stores 174 containers of hazardous waste, as well as the fact that the plant is located on the shore of the Kakhovka reservoir. In case of an accident, its waters will flow into the Dnipro River and further through the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

The situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is seized and controlled by russian occupants, is becoming more and more dangerous every day. The violation of elementary rules of nuclear safety by rf terrorist troops requires the IAEA and the international community to react and take measures to liberate the plant as soon as possible.

# infoterror