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     For months, the world has been concerned that fighting around the huge Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine poses a risk for all of Europe. Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a global nuclear watchdog, said that the situation was getting worse.
     Last Friday, there were explosions at the Zaporizhzhia plant spurring fears of a nuclear disaster. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the shelling of the plant which was seized by Russian forces early in March. Ukraine president Zelensky called the attacks a “brazen crime” and an “act of terror”. He added that “Today, the occupiers created another extremely risky situation for everyone in Europe.
     The Russian Ministry of Defense denied the Ukraine claim. They said that Ukraine had carried out three artillery strikes on the plant. The Ministry also said that the generating capacity of one reactor at the plant had been reduced and the power being supplied to another reactor had been cut off.
     The Ukrainian state-run nuclear power operator, Energoatom, accused Russian forces of hitting the Zaporizhzhia plant and using the nuclear plant as a staging ground for attacking nearby targets which include many in the occupied city of Enerhodar and the nearby city of Nikopol.
     When fierce fighting first broke out near the nuclear power plant in the early days of the Ukrainian war, it triggered fears of a nuclear disaster and prompted condemnations from the international community.
     Russian troops forced the managers of the plant to work at gun point. A week after the Russian occupation, Kremlin sent officials and technicians from Russia’s state nuclear agency to assist with repairs and manage the facility. Ukrainian and Russian staff have been working with each other ever since. Communication with the outside world have been intermittent.
      Energoatom said last Friday that the Russian shelling had hit in and around the nuclear plant and had damaged a water intake which cut off power and water to much of the city of Enerhodar. The Ukrainian agency said, “Three hits were recorded directly at the site of the station,” one of which was “near one of the power units where the nuclear reactor is located.”
     International media companies were unable to verify damage claims at the plant which covers a large site. Much of the recent Russian artillery fire in that area has originated from near the plant. It is unclear if parts of the nuclear plant were hit accidentally. Energoatom said on Saturday that the plant was operational. They also said that the Ukrainian staff at the plant continued to work to ensure radiation safety. Ukrainian prosecutors have started an investigation into the incident. It has been claimed that the explosions happened within seconds of Russian artillery being fired.
     The exact danger posed by the explosions in and around the Zaporizhzhia plant are unclear. Rafael Grossi is the head of the IAEA. He said in an interview last Tuesday, that the situation at the plant was “completely out of control”. He added that “Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated. What is at stake is extremely serious and extremely grave and dangerous.”
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