Russia has seized Europe’s largest nuclear plant, and EU leaders and other officials are calling for sanctions and an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the attack; plus, the latest Ukraine updates.
Russia seizes Europe’s largest nuclear plant, fire now out
Russia attacked Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine early on Friday morning, causing a fire to break out, which has now been extinguished, but European officials are concerned over the “safety of all of Europe.”
CNBC reported that the showing caused the fire to break out at an adjacent training facility.
Initially, fire crews could not immediately extinguish the blaze because they were taking fire from Russian troops.
Ukraine’s emergency service department says the fire is now extinguished, and no “essential” equipment had been damaged.
According to the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the BBC reported the radiation levels and safety of their reactors were not affected.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned Russia’s attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Unilad reported. Johnson said Putin’s “reckless” attack on the power plant could “directly threaten the safety of all of Europe.”
Officials from the US Embassy in Kyiv condemned the attack on the nuclear plant as a war crime.
Potential accident waiting to happen
The Zaporizhzhia facility is among the ten largest nuclear power plants in the world and the largest in Europe, generating over a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a potential “nuclear catastrophe,” saying: “If there is an explosion, it is the end for all of us. The end of Europe.”
A major concern is with Russia being in control of the plant, and the possibility of the nuclear facility being in the hands of individuals with no experience in handling nuclear material poses a danger “not only to the region but also to the world,” said Ukraine’s head of engineering for the state-run Zaporizhzhia plant.
NBC reported that the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists called it “astonishing” that troops would shell a nuclear facility with six reactors and spent fueling rods that need to remain cool.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned: “If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl.”
However, the nuclear safety director said the Zaporizhzhia plant has a different design, and an “accident sequence” likely would not “be as bad” as Chernobyl. Still, there was “certainly a lot of radioactive material” at the plant, and a meltdown could be “what we saw at Fukushima.”
UK to call for emergency meeting of UN Security Council
Following the Russian attack on a seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility in Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would call for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the attack, CNBC reported.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the Russian attack on the nuclear plant proves Putin is a “threat to European security and stability.”
EU considering sanctions after Russia seizes nuclear plant, call for emergency UN meeting
EU foreign affairs ministers will meet on Friday in Brussels to discuss the next steps on the situation in Ukraine and are considering imposing energy sanctions on Russia, according to three European officials who spoke anonymously to CNBC. Representatives of Ukraine, the UK, the US, and Canada will also participate in the discussions.
16,000 foreigners have volunteered to fight for Ukraine, Zelensky says
An “international legion” of 16,000 foreign volunteers are joining the fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Ukraine temporarily lifted visa requirements for foreign volunteers entering the country to join the fight against Russian forces, the Washington Post reported.
Days earlier, Zelensky had issued an international call for foreign fighters to “join the defense of Ukraine, Europe, and the world.”
On Thursday, videos from numerous news agencies showed individuals, male and female, boarding various forms of transportation to travel to Ukraine. Many were Ukrainian nationals who were away from their homeland when the invasion broke out.
Bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers call for ban of Russian oil; White House shows resistance
On Thursday, a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers led by Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced a bill seeking to ban energy imports from Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. However, ABC reported that the White House is pushing back against a ban.
Gasoline prices soaring
This past week, the national average price of gasoline has climbed at least 26 cents, with the March 4, 2022, national average at $3.837, although significantly higher in some areas, with California at $5.074, according to the latest statistics from the gas prices tracker at AAA.
