UK Daily Mail
Boris Johnson has accused Russia of ‘threatening the security of the whole of Europe’ after Putin’s troops attacked the continent’s largest nuclear power plant overnight, sparking a fire that raged for hours before emergency crews were eventually allowed to extinguish it as Russian soldiers seized the complex.
Mr Johnson condemned the attack as ‘reckless’ after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky who branded it ‘nuclear terrorism’. Jens Stoltenberg, who is in Brussels today to meet with NATO allies, denounced attacks on all civilian infrastructure and said the fire at the plant underlined the need to end Putin’s war as soon as possible.
Russian troops had attacked the Zaporizhzhia plant in the early hours of Friday, with CCTV capturing a fierce gun battle between Putin’s men and Ukrainian defenders that sparked a fire in a six-storey training building just outside the main complex. Moscow’s men then stopped firefighters getting to the building for several hours. More
“…a fire in a six-storey training building just outside the main complex.”
IOW, nowhere near the actual nukey stuff. I’m going to need a more specific definition of “just outside”…a hundred yards? Half a mile? Effing hair on fire journogandistz.
And Heroic Ukrainians, if you really want to avoid an actual nuke catastrophe, don’t hold a reactor hostage, m’kay?
Concur with Third twin.
Still, fire, nuke plant, presumably water…what could pussibly go wrong?
This proves that the russians and nuclear power plants together is a bad idea.
“And Heroic Ukrainians, if you really want to avoid an actual nuke catastrophe, don’t hold a reactor hostage, m’kay?”
It’s their reactor? How can they be holding it hostage?
What is the logic behind Russia risking a nuclear disaster in a country they plan to conquer? Any conclusion from TV or gov’t is going to be a lie.
Unless the reactor containment vessel is ruptured from explosives, or the rod control safety mechanism is instantly destroyed, there is very little danger of any radioactive material leak, or a runaway reactor. FWIW I served aboard five nuclear submarines back in the day. This is just media hype, like 98% of the “news” from Ukraine.
Western leaders, being utter morons who are completely incapable of grasping fundamental war strategy thinks this is an opportunity to spout off about global warming or whatever.
The media are hyperventilating over this.
I was security badged in a nuclear plant for a couple decades. The reactor area is enclosed in a concrete structure on all walls, floors and the roof. Here in the states, that concrete wall is 6′ thick reinforced with crisscrossed rebar every 8 inches. The control room is also located inside the secure shielded area.
If the Russian nuclear plants are designed like nuclear plants elsewhere then the training section is located in the general office space location. The training centers basically are class rooms used to train contractors who are hired during the refueling process which generally takes place between 16 to 22 months a year. Contractors need to be certified to have had this training before they can go in to work. Most of these workers are electricians, steam fitters and welders. The real complex stuff is done by on-site engineers and specialist contractors who are hired to go into ‘hot’ areas to perform a specific repair. During refueling everyone is required to wear radiation dosimeters. The health physics staff monitor everyone going in and out of restricted areas.
During refueling every inch of the cooling system is inspected for any indication of structural failure. It really is amazing how many redundant safety procedures exist in a nuclear power plant.
16 to 22 months annually (not year)
“It’s their reactor? How can they be holding it hostage?”
By not surrendering it peacefully, and instead forcing a military solution. The Russians, in spite of what the insane propaganda barrage from the West would have us believe, are not fools, and would have let the technicians operate as usual, but when the Russians are being shot at “defensively” from a six-story building which is not near the reactor, kinetics are called for. I guarantee you the Ukrainians are still running that reactor right now.
So I’m willing to bet the former Navy Nukes who frequent this site where just itching for the laymen to sound off on this topic. I know I was.
Everyone needs to chill.
Watch “Wag the Dog” instead of “Sum of all Fears”
@Thirdtwin
“By not surrendering it peacefully, and instead forcing a military solution.”
Yes, when your country is invaded by armed people and you don’t surrender peacefully, you are forcing a military solution. I agree with that, and if the russians are shot at, they will shoot back, I also agree with that. But let’s take the situation in a different context.
If an armed intruder invades YOUR HOUSE, and you don’t manage to kill him immediately, but you retreat to your kitchen where you set up a small barricade and are engaged in a firefight. Behind you is your gas stove, with its gas lines…
One wrong shot could make the situation even worse, no one would think that you took YOUR kitchen HOSTAGE?
Having control of a significant amount of energy production seems to be the goal.