Ukraine Calls For International Mission To Damaged Power Plant.

Ukrainian representatives at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for an “international mission to the plant” in late August. In recent days, both the Ukrainian and the Russian sides have accused each other of bombing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The plant was said to have provided energy to most of southern Ukraine, and Ukrainian authorities believe that continued Russian bombings may cause severe blackouts in the region. In addition to the economic consequences of these bombings, experts in the nuclear field have expressed their concerns regarding radiation if the power plant is bombed directly.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the IAEA, Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, has asserted that Russia’s attack on the Zaporizhzhia plant is an attempt to cripple the Ukrainian energy grid. He also added that if Russia were to bomb the plant’s nuclear reactors, the radiation released into the atmosphere may have catastrophic effects on the environment. In addition, the bombings may also hinder Ukraine’s detection of radiation, which may further impair the international community’s ability to contain radioactive materials. In particular, Tsymbaliuk has warned that a Chernobyl-esque catastrophe may be imminent, and that it would “absolutely not be comparable even to Chernobyl”. Tsymbaliuk maintained that Kyiv would utilize all diplomatic channels in hopes of allowing international missions to visit the plant.
Russia, on the other hand, has repeatedly accused the Ukrainians of “[taking] Europe hostage” by Kyiv’s shelling of the Zaporizhzhia plant. A spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has said that Ukraine is “not against setting fire to the [Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant] for the sake of [the Ukrainians’] Nazi idols.” Such ‘anti-fascist’ rhetoric has been utilized by Russia since the beginning of the war, when Russian President Putin declared that Ukraine had become corrupted by fascist Nazis and needed to be ‘cleansed.’ This claim had stemmed from the alleged involvement of some Ukrainians in the German army during the Second World War. However, Kyiv and Western leaders have all rejected Putin’s absurd claim, adding that Russia’s continued attacks on ex-Soviet countries, including Ukraine and Georgia, are simply an imperialistic attempt at territorial expansion.
History has taught us that radiation leakages can have devastating impacts not just on people, but also on the environment. Incidents such as the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the Fukushima disaster in 2011 have caused widespread panic globally, and have also impacted the economy negatively. Both Ukraine and Russia are aware of the enormous impact this war has had and will continue to have on the economy and on society. The hope is that both sides will stop the aggression and will commit to peace and stability in the region.

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