Ukrainian firefighters on Friday extinguished a fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant that was hit by Russian shelling and that prompted widespread concern as Russian military forces seized control of the site and pressed their campaign to cripple the country.
The head of the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said there was no release of radiation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after a building on the site was hit.
International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi said two people were injured in the fire.
He said that the operator and the regulator said the situation "continues to be extremely tense and challenging," and that only one reactor was operating at about 60%.
The assault renewed fears of another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world’s worst nuclear disaster, which happened about 65 miles north of the Ukrainian capital.
The attack led to phone calls between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders. The U.S. Department of Energy activated its nuclear incident response team as a precaution.
The attack on the eastern city of Enerhodar and its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant came as the invasion entered its second week and another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine yielded a tentative agreement to set up safe corridors to evacuate citizens and deliver humanitarian aid.
Latest developments:
►The Russian parliament has passed a bill introducing sentences of up to 15 years in prison for intentionally spreading “fake” information about military action.
►China says it is “seriously concerned about the safety and security” of nuclear facilities in Ukraine following the nuclear plant blaze ignited by Russian artillery fire.
►Trading on the Moscow exchange will be closed Friday as Russia’s ruble has lost about 5% against the U.S. dollar, further plunging since Western governments imposed sanctions that cut off much of the country's access to the global financial system.
►The Pentagon said it established a direct communication line Tuesday with the Russian ministry of defense “for the purpose of preventing miscalculation, military incidents, and escalation.”
►Acclaimed soprano Anna Netrebko has withdrawn from her upcoming New York performances after not complying with the Metropolitan Opera's condition that she repudiate her public support for Putin, the Met said on Twitter.
►Heavy fighting is continuing on the outskirts of a strategic port city on the Azov Sea, Mariupol. The city’s regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said Thursday night that power, water, heating and food deliveries to the city have been cut.
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Wester leaders condemn Russian attacks after nuclear plant fire
The office of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will seek an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting after Russian troops in Ukraine attacked a nuclear power plant and sparked a fire.
Johnson’s office says he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the early hours of the morning. He says Britain will raise the issue immediately with Russia and close partners.
“The Prime Minister said the reckless actions of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin could now directly threaten the safety of all of Europe,” Johnson’s office said in a statement. “He said (the United Kingdom) would do everything it could to ensure the situation did not deteriorate further.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he also spoke with Zelenskyy about the attacks on the power plant.
“These unacceptable attacks by Russia must cease immediately,” he said on Twitter.
— Associated Press
Fire at nuclear plant sparked fears of 'Fukushima-style meltdown'
Fears of an unprecedented nuclear disaster spread rapidly overnight when part of Europe’s largest nuclear plant caught on fire as Russian forces shelled the area.
Amid a stream of confusing, alarming, and, at times, conflicting information about the incident, The International Atomic Energy Agency soon said the "serious situation" had not affected essential equipment at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and that there had been no change in radiation levels.
Jon B. Wolfsthal, former senior director for arms control and nonproliferation at the National Security Council, tweeted that the Zaporizhzhia power plant was "inherently more safe and protected than the Chernobyl."
James M. Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. echoed Jennex's assessment of the danger posed by the Russian attack, saying the fire could result in a "Fukushima-style meltdown."
In that nuclear incident in Japan, a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plant’s cooling systems, triggering the meltdown of three reactors and the release of large amounts of radiation, and causing more than 160,000 people to evacuate.
The Chernobyl disaster, while geographically close, was caused by a different process, Acton told USA TODAY. It was caused by operator error and led to a different level of danger — a situation where the nuclear fuel explodes. Read more here.
— Joel Shannon
Ukrainians in U.S. granted temporary protection from deportation
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced temporary protected status (TPS) for Ukrainians living in the United States, which will shield them from deportation for the next 18 months, as Ukraine battles ongoing attacks from Russia.
“Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “In these extraordinary times, we will continue to offer our support and protection to Ukrainian nationals in the United States.”
Individuals must have continuously lived in the U.S. since March 1 to be eligible for TPS, DHS said. That would apply to approximately 30,000 Ukrainian nationals. Those who attempt to travel to the U.S. after March 1 do not qualify for TPS.
— Rebecca Morin
Black and brown refugees are being turned away at European borders
As increasing reports indicate people of color fleeing Ukraine are facing discrimination at the border, the crisis has once again highlighted a double standard in the way nations treat refugees based on country of origin, race, religion and more, academics and refugees say.
Many of the same European nations that turned away refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in the past are now largely welcoming refugees from Ukraine.
"It's great that Europe is being welcoming toward Ukrainian refugees. That should be the response,'' said Nell Gabiam, an associate professor at Iowa State University who studies forced migration. "But it would be even better if that response was applied across the board toward all refugees who are fleeing persecution and war."
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, commended governments and citizens for their "extraordinary acts of humanity and kindness" but acknowledged some refugees have faced "a different treatment" at the border. Read more.
– Grace Hauck
Contributing: The Associated Press