Zelenski claims Russians use Zaporiyia as nuclear weapon

Latest news on the war pitting Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski has assured that the Russian Army is using the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant as a weapon, he said in an interview to the U.S. network ABC News.

“You see, they occupied our nuclear station, six blocks. The biggest in Europe. It means six times Chernobyl; it means the biggest danger in Europe,” Zelenski said, before adding that this “means they use nuclear weapons.”

In this regard, the Ukrainian leader asserted that there should be no military personnel: “There should be no military equipment on the territory. There should be no plant workers surrounded by people with firearms,” he added.

The Zaporiyia nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine, has been the target of several bombings in recent weeks. Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for attacks in the vicinity of the nuclear plant, while Russian troops are currently occupying the site.

The United Nations has constantly warned of the danger of fighting in the Zaporiyia region because of the possibility of a catastrophe there. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are currently at the facility to assess and monitor any damage.

This Saturday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reported that the plant had been taken offline, although it was able to receive electricity through a backup line.

Zelenski has explained that he is not considering a controlled shutdown of the plant to avoid radiation leakage because of the country’s energy dependence on this infrastructure, especially in view of the winter.

“I know that the Russians would like the reactors to be disconnected from the Ukrainian grid to connect it to the Russian grid, but we do not agree with these ideas,” he concluded.