Ukraine Has Fired 17 Shells at Territory of Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant, Russian Military Says

On Friday, Energodar authorities said that Ukrainian Armed Forces resumed their shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, with several shells landing not far from the site where radioactive isotopes are stored.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has stated that the Kiev regime continues to engage in "nuclear terrorism" by targeting the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), firing a total of 17 artillery projectiles at the territory of the facility over the past 24 hours.

“Over the last 24 hours, artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have shelled the territory of the ZNPP three times. A total of 17 shells were fired, four of which hit the roof of special building No. 1, where 168 assemblies with American nuclear fuel from the Westinghouse [Electric Corporation] company are stored,” the MoD said.

The Ministry added that “another 10 shells exploded 30 meters away from the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel, and three more projectiles detonated in the area of special building No. 2, which houses the fresh nuclear fuel storage unit of the TVEL fuel company and the storage of solid radioactive waste.

The Russian MoD also stressed that “the radiation situation at the ZNPP remains normal” after the shelling by Ukrainian troops.

“Monitoring of the technical condition of the NPP and ensuring its functioning is carried out by regular technical personnel. The Russian special military formation protects the external perimeter of the nuclear plant. There are no heavy weapons in the area of the NPP”, the ministry said.

The statement comes after the authorities of Ukraine’s Zaporozhye Region said that Ukrainian troops had launched 20 artillery strikes on the city of Energodar, including five on the ZNPP's territory.

They added that according to preliminary estimates, the shelling started at 9:37 am, Moscow time, with the Ukrainian army using the US-made 155mm artillery weapons.

According to the authorities, emergency services are on standby to provide urgent assistance to citizens and eliminate the consequences of shelling from the opposite bank of the Dnieper River. The authorities said that there are no casualties as a result of the shelling.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye Region administration, for his part, said that there were no strikes on the territory of the ZNPP at the moment, but that the shelling was not over yet, and authorities would assess the loss and damage once it was completed.

The developments followed Energodar authorities saying on Friday that several shells had landed not far from the ZNPP site where radioactive isotopes are stored after the Ukrainian troops resumed their shelling of the facility earlier that day.

The Energodar administration's spokesperson stated that “Ukrainian 'punishers' continue the global nuclear terror, striking at the territory” of the ZNPP. The spokesperson underscored that the infrastructure and key nodes of the NPP had not suffered any damage and that the radioactive background around the facility remains within normal levels.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) previously voiced concern over the situation around the ZNPP, amid reports that a major nuclear incident may take place in the area if hostilities continue. Russia has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of shelling Energodar and the NPP itself, warning that it could lead to a nuclear disaster that risked contaminating the continent.

The Zaporozhye NPP, which is the largest nuclear power generation facility in Europe, contains six VVER-1000 pressurized light water reactors, which put out a total of 5,700 MWe of power.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine following a request from the Donbass republics to protect them from Kiev’s provocations.