Russian forces at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility in Ukraine have likely compromised the plant’s security and safety, according to the UK’s defense ministry.
Since March, the largest nuclear reactor in Europe has been under the Russian administration, although it remains active.
The British Ministry of Defense believes that Russian troops are using the plant as a shield against Ukrainian attacks.
The UN nuclear watchdog has issued a warning that the facility is “totally out of control.”
The nuclear facility is located on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in southeast Ukraine. Despite Russia’s occupation of the plant and the surrounding area, Ukrainian personnel continues to run the facility.
It contains six water-pressurized reactors and radioactive waste.
In a Twitter update, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense stated that Russian troops are likely to be operating in the vicinity of the power plant and have used artillery units based in these areas to target Ukrainian territory on the western bank of the Dnieper River, compromising the facility’s security.
It was stated that Russian forces have likely exploited the station’s surrounding territory, particularly the adjacent city of Enerhodar, to rest their soldiers, knowing that the facility and surrounding area cannot be easily destroyed without risking a nuclear catastrophe.
The UK issued its concerns a day after the head of the UN’s nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, was reported by the Associated Press as stating there is a “list of things that should never occur in any nuclear site” in Zaporizhzhia.
He noted that the facility required inspection and maintenance.
Ukraine has previously claimed that Russian forces are stationing troops and storing military equipment on the grounds of the power station.
The American envoy to Ukraine further stated that there are “reliable indications” that Russian forces are using the nuclear power station “as a nuclear shield, firing on Ukrainians near the plant.”
A resident of Nikopol, a city on the opposite bank of the Dnipro river, told the New York Times, “They are shooting at us, and there is nothing we can do.”
A Russian-installed official in the region, meanwhile, told the Reuters news agency that Ukrainian forces are attacking the factory with weaponry supplied by the West.
Russia bombarded the facility when it was captured, causing international outrage.
