Chris Lange, FISM News
Russian forces on Thursday seized Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – the largest such facility in Europe. A nearby training facility caught fire during intense fighting, raising fears of a nuclear disaster experts say would be 10 times worse than Chernobyl, the site of a 1986 nuclear accident considered the worst nuclear disaster in history.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that no change in radiation levels has been detected thus far, and all fires have been extinguished. The Ukraine State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said that the plant is still under operation from its regular personnel.
International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Mario Grossi, however, said that operator at the plant had told him that “the situation remains very challenging.” While Grossi reiterated that monitoring systems at the site are fully functional, he is still “gravely concerned about the situation.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, stating that Russian tanks opened fire on reactor blocks.
“Europeans, please wake up,” Zelenskyy urged in a speech he delivered in the middle of the night, adding that an explosion at the site would mean “the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe.”
“Only urgent action by Europe can stop the Russian troops,” he continued. “Do not allow the death of Europe from a catastrophe at a nuclear power station.”
President Biden spoke with Zelenskyy about the fire late Thursday. Both leaders called on Russia to “cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site,” according to a read-out of the call. Zelenskyy spoke separately with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
China urged “all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation, and ensure the safety of relevant nuclear facilities,” according to China Global Television Network, as reported by Reuters.
Mariupol surrounded: ‘We are being destroyed as a nation’
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s southeastern port city of Mariupol reported mass casualties early Friday following relentless shelling from Russian forces who knocked out power, water, and heating supplies and created a blockade preventing residents from fleeing the carnage. Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Mariupol has endured constant shelling for 24 hours during a video broadcast.
“Mariupol remains under fire. Women, children and the elderly are suffering. We are being destroyed as a nation. This is genocide of the Ukrainian people,” the city’s council said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Putin doubles down on terror, propaganda
The world may never know if Russian President Vladimir Putin experienced a moment of concern or regret about the global condemnation or economic repercussions he has incurred since he declared war on Ukraine. The chilling and rapid escalation in both his brutality and propaganda efforts appear to signal that he has decided he is willing to accept the risk and is more entrenched than ever in his resolve to subdue the Ukrainian people at any cost.
“I want to say that the special military operation is proceeding strictly in line with the timetable. According to plan,” Putin said in a televised briefing. “All the tasks that have been set are being successfully resolved.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he is certain that the “worst is yet to come” following a 90-minute call between the two leaders Thursday, according to Fox News. Putin, who initiated the call, evinced a more menacing posture than in previous conversations, saying he will continue to pursue “de-nazification” of Ukraine, to which Macron purportedly replied, “You are lying to yourself.”
The Kremlin is also cracking down even harder on any of its citizens who criticize the war on Ukraine. A human rights watchdog group said nearly 7,000 Russian citizens have been detained for participating in anti-war demonstrations.
In a move to further squash dissidence, the Russian parliament on Thursday passed a measure to punish anyone who spreads “fake” information with up to 15 years in prison, according to an AP report. Russia’s state media regulator, RIA Novosti, announced this morning that it is now blocking Russian citizens’ access to the websites of several international media organizations, including BBC, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Russia’s “Ministry of Enlightenment” propaganda machine, meanwhile, has released an “open lesson” justifying the invasion of Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent says that “the lesson will discuss why ‘NATO poses a threat to Russia’ and why Russia ‘stood up to defend the peaceful residents of Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics,” according to the AP report.
Unprecedented humanitarian crisis
Meanwhile, a second round of talks between delegates from Ukraine and Russia Thursday resulted in an agreement to establish “humanitarian corridors” for Ukrainian citizens attempting to flee areas under heavy attack. Many leaders, however, remain highly skeptical that Moscow will follow through, since Russian forces have been deliberately targeting Ukrainian citizens and residential areas throughout its attack on the country.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least 1.25 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24, with experts estimating that the number could rise to around 4 million.
Meanwhile, UNICEF says around 500,000 children have been displaced from their homes. James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund, says he fears many more Ukrainian children will die if the violence does not end soon. UNICEF has been sending supplies into Ukraine to assist those in need, but Elder said aid workers are “preparing for a mass casualty of children.”