Shelling of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant by Ukraine raises risk of 'catastrophe': Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday (August 19) and warned that the shelling of the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine could eventually lead to a large-scale disaster.

For the unversed, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located near the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. It has six of Ukraine's 15 reactors and is capable of supplying power for four million homes.

Zaporizhzhia NPP is Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which was captured by Russia in March, but is still run by Ukrainian technicians.

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Amid escalating tensions, both sides — Russia and Ukraine — have accused each other of preparing "provocations" at the facility.

During his telephonic conversation with Macron, Kremlin released a readout of the call. The statement read: "Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that the systematic shelling of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by the Ukrainian military created the danger of a large-scale catastrophe that could lead to radiation contamination of vast territories."

The ongoing conflicthasrenewed fears that the invasion could result in damage to nuclear reactors. It could trigger another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world's worst nuclear disaster. Experts have claimed that if the nuclear plant blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl.

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Putin and Macron called for independent inspections of the Moscow-occupied nuclear plant. Kremlin's statement added that both leaders called for experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the plant "as soon as possible" and "assess the real situation on the ground".

The statement added, "The Russian side confirmed its readiness to provide the Agency inspectors with the necessary assistance."

Meanwhile, Elysee in a separate statement said that Macron is concerned about safety risks at the nuclear plant and said that he "supported the dispatch of a mission of experts from the IAEA to the site under conditions agreed by Ukraine and the United Nations".

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