Russian forces shelled Zaporizhzhia NPP again, damaging radiation sensors – Enerhoatom

Russin forces shelled Zaporizhzhia NPP again. On August 11, they already struck four times on the plant's territory and adjacent areas, reports the operator of the Energoatom station.

During the last shelling, the Russian military targeted the territory of the nuclear power plant and hit it not far from the first power unit. According to Energoatom, they damaged the pumping station of domestic sewage, causing plumes of smoke.

"The situation is getting worse because the radiation sources are very close and several radiation sensors have been damaged," Energoatom emphasizes.

Earlier, on August 11, the Russian forces launched ten strikes at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The Russian forces struck near the storage of radiation sources, as reported by the operator of the Energoatom station.

According to the operator, five strikes occurred near the commandant's office of the plant. There, the Russians struck near the welding station and the storage of radiation sources. The grass caught fire in a small area, but no one was injured.

Five more strikes occurred near the fire department, which is located near the Zaporizhzhia NPP. This made the replacement of the plant's personnel impossible: to ensure the team's safety, the buses with the personnel of the next shift turned back to Enerhodar. Energoatom says that before the situation is completely normalized, employees of the previous shift will work at the plant. However, Enerhoatom said that the situation at the station is now under control.

Then there was the shelling of the area near the station: the fire department, intended for extinguishing fires at the ZNPP during emergencies, was damaged. There were no casualties.

Background

After the Russian forces attacked the Zaporizhzhya NPP on August 5, the plant's power unit was shut down. The plant had to work with the risk of violating radiation and fire safety regulations.

Energoatom said that as a result of the shelling, the nitrogen-oxygen station and the combined auxiliary building were seriously damaged. The risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances and the fire hazard remain high.

In addition, the Russian military "hid" in the basements of the ZNPP — they occupied all the basements to hide from shelling. Oleksandr Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, said that after two power lines were damaged as a result of the Russian attack at the ZNPP, a fire broke out which was extinguished by the emergency services workers.

On August 6, Russian troops again launched missile strikes on the site near ZNPP, hitting near the station's dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility. Two employees of the station were injured.

During a conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, President Zelensky urged for the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia for the shelling of the Zaporizhia NPP.