Russia and Ukraine jointly warned of a new nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia plant

Speaking on the anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia’s seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia would threaten the risk of a new nuclear disaster.

“The entire world should be responsible for putting pressure on Russia to ensure that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is returned to Ukrainian control, as well as to protect all Ukrainian nuclear facilities from attacks by the Russian army,” AFP news agency quoted the President of Ukraine as saying on social networks.

“This is the only way to prevent new radioactive disasters,” Mr. Zelensky added.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion 38 years ago was the world’s worst nuclear disaster, contaminating large areas in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Some areas in Western Europe were also contaminated with radiation from this disaster.

“The Chernobyl disaster demonstrated to us how suddenly and quickly deadly threats can appear,” Mr. Zelensky said on April 26.

In the opposite direction, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also warned that attacks by the Ukrainian army on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant would cause catastrophic consequences.

“The attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are of particular concern that could lead to catastrophic consequences,” Mr. Shoigu said at a meeting of defense ministers of member countries. member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on April 26.

The Russian Defense Minister also added that traces of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall theater on March 22 that left 144 people dead “point towards Ukraine”.

“All those who commit crimes, with these illegal and brutal actions, will certainly receive the punishment they deserve; it is only a matter of time when they will be punished,” Mr. Shoigu said.