Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that Russian forces had launched missile strikes on towns near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
There is a fear that the nuclear power plant will be damaged due to these attacks and there is a risk of radiation release.
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, and the towns on the left side of the river, were captured by Russian forces as soon as the war began.
On the right side of the river, the towns of Nikopol and Makhanets are held by Ukrainian forces. About 10 KM from Nuclear Power Station. Russian forces launched missile and artillery attacks on the remote towns on Saturday night.
In this, the governor of the region, Valentin Reshnichenko, said that power supply was affected in the city of Nikopol throughout the night.
More than 12 residences in the town of Magnaets were damaged in the missile attacks. 40 km from nuclear power plant. Russia also attacked the distant town of Zaporizhia.
In Eastern Ukraine… Russia and its backed separatist forces are trying to fully control eastern Ukraine. Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said that forces attacked the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the region.
Most of the Donetsk region is held by Russia and separatist forces. Donetsk is one of two Ukrainian regions recognized by Russia as independent states.
Damage to the nuclear power plant?: There is a fear that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant will be affected by these attacks. Considering the risk of radiation release, the local authorities started last week to provide iodine tablets to the people living in the nuclear power plant areas.
Cooling systems for nuclear reactors require electricity to operate. However, the operation of the nuclear power plant was temporarily suspended last Thursday due to a fire in the power transmission system. If the cooling system is not working properly it can cause great danger in the nuclear power plant.
The Ukrainian and Russian governments have blamed each other for the attacks on the nuclear power plant complex.