Chernobyl, Zaporizhzhia under control to 'prevent' nuclear provocations, claims Russia

Russia established control over the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants to 'prevent' any attempts to stage nuclear provocations, Moscow said on Wednesday. Addressing a press brief, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova highlighted the possible 'risk' of nuclear provocations during the war with Ukraine, stating that Russia had taken over the two crucial plants to prevent any such attempts. 

"During the special operation in Ukraine, control has been established over the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants. This was done exclusively to prevent any attempts to stage nuclear provocations, which is a risk that obviously exists," said Maria Zakharova. 

Two big nuclear power plants under Russia's control

On Day 1 of their 'special military operation', Russian forces captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located in Northern Ukraine on February 25. The act of the Russian forces received massive condemnation from global leaders as well as from the Ukrainian government. Chernobyl, the site of one of the world's most devastating disasters, claimed the lives of many in an explosion that took place on April 26, 1986. Following this, countless people died from the radiation symptoms with the place still an active radioactive zone. The IAEA has lost all its contact with the safeguards monitoring systems at Chernobyl.

On the other hand, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) located in Ukraine's Enerhodar was taken over by the Russian troops on March 4. Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe and the largest of Ukraine's four nuclear power plants providing around half of the country's electricity supply. After a fierce gun battle, the Russian military occupied the plant during which a fire broke out at the training building, posing as a massive nuclear hazard.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that while only one unit was left operating at a 60% capacity in the aftermath, there was no release of radioactive material during the exchange. Notably, the power plant, situated around 200 km away from Crimea, remains strategically important to Moscow as it gradually attempts to take over Kyiv. A blast at Zaporizhzhia could be '10 times worse' than Chernobyl, Ukraine has warned.