FEARS of a nuclear catastrophe in Russia are growing as fighting rages on near a power plant with Ukraine continuing to surge.
The chief of the United Nations‘ nuclear agency today flew into Kursk to inspect the site, which is located about 25 miles from the heat of battle.
The power plant in Kursk’s west raising fears of a nuclear disasterREUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Ukraine continues the offensive into RussiaROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images
Nuclear agency boss Rafael Grossi speaks to media in Kurchatov, near KurskTATYANA MAKEYEVA/AFP via Getty Images
GettyKyiv troops now control 500 square miles of Russian territory, it’s claimed[/caption]
The Ukrainians have seized 100 towns, and claim to have taken 500 square miles of Russian territory since launching the invasion three weeks ago.
Now they are even attempting to launch a second cross-border blitz into nearby Belgorod, according to reports.
But while the West applauds Kyiv’s brave offensive taking the fight to Putin, there are mounting concerns over the plant in the west of Kursk.
International Atomic Energy Agency boss Rafael Grossi warned there is a “danger or possibility of a nuclear accident” that could cause “serious consequences”, Reuters reported.
He told reporters on Tuesday: “We see the plant still operating, but at the same time, the fact that the plant is operating may get even more serious in terms of an eventual action against it.
“When a plant is operating, the temperature is much higher, and if there was the case of an impact or something that could affect it, there would be serious consequences.”
The Kursk plant has four reactors which are the same design as those at the infamous Chernobyl.
Chernobyl’s no.4 reactor exploded in 1986, causing a nuclear disaster that led to years of health impacts after a huge release of radioactivity.
Alarmingly, Grossi said the Kursk plant didn’t have a protective structure, instead laying under a normal roof.
He said: “This makes it extremely exposed and fragile, for example, to an artillery impact or a drone or a missile.
“So this is why we believe that a nuclear power plant of this type, so close to a point of contact or a military front, is an extremely serious fact that we take very seriously.”
Grossi said he was vying to attract the world’s attention to the potential doom.
He added: “Basically – never, ever, must or should a nuclear power plant be attacked in any way.”
Similar fears previously swelled regarding a plant in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia after Russia invaded in 2022.
Ukrainian and Russian authorities have since accused one another of endangering the site, but disaster has so far been averted.
The warnings came after Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said his troops had reached the 100-town milestone in their offensive.
He told Ukrainian TV they also controlled 500 square miles of Russian soil.
Vlad is the first leader to give up territory to a foreign power since the Nazis invaded in World War Two.
Ukraine appeared to attempt a second surge into Russia on Tuesday, with troops eyeing the Belgorod region after smashing into Kursk.
Kyiv’s forces are attacking border checkpoints as Putin’s soldiers desperately fight back to defend their soil, reports say.
A calm scene over the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant amid rising fearsREUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A Ukrainian tank fires into KurskREUTERS
Ukrainian rescuers working at the site of a rocket strike EPA/Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the Ukrainians were trying to “break through the border”, citing Vlad’s defence ministry.
He said: “According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the situation on the border remains difficult but under control.
“Our military is carrying out planned work. Please remain calm and trust only official sources of information.”
Rumours of heated Ukrainian attacks are also swirling on Telegram.
As many as 300 of Volodymyr Zelensky‘s men have launched towards the Shebekino border crossing, with another 200 to the west at Nekhoteyevka, according to Telegram channel Mash.
The city of Belgorod, which has a population of 340,000, is just 23 miles from the Nekhoteyevka checkpoint.
Reports vary on Telegram with another channel, Shot, claiming there was no fighting at Shebekino and Ukrainians were pushed back in Nekhoteyevka.
Shot said up to 60 soldiers and eight Ukrainian armed vehicles rolled into the border crossing but were met with heavy Russian fire.
The pro-Kremlin channel claimed Kyiv troops were forced back into a forest, but continue to attack Russian positions.
VLAD’S DEADLY BARRAGE CONDEMNED
Back over the border in Ukraine, the embattled nation struggled through a second successive night of Kremlin strikes.
Zelensky said the overnight attack was an deadly mix of drones and ballistic missiles.
Five people were reported dead and another 16 injured.
Responding to the strikes, Zelensky wrote on X: “We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks.
“Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished.”
US President Joe Biden moved to assure Zelensky that their bond was “unshakeable” in the wake of the attacks.
He added: “Ukrainian officials report that this outrageous attack resulted in the deaths of Ukrainian civilians and targeted more than two dozen critical energy sites.
“Let me be clear: Russia will never succeed in Ukraine, and the spirit of the Ukrainian people will never be broken.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy took to X to slam the Kremlin for the attacks.
He said: “The UK utterly condemns Russia’s cowardly missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine today.
“These assaults are in flagrant violation of international law and those responsible must be brought to justice.”
A hotel destroyed by a ballistic missileUkrinform/Polaris
A Kursk village erupts in sparks and smoke
Ukraine has been busy blowing up bridges in KurskReuters
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