Ukrainian consul in Spain warns of possible 'nuclear catastrophe'

The Ukrainian consul in Barcelona, Artem Vorobyov, warned of a nuclear catastrophe yesterday, 4 March, just a few hours before Russian troops attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe.

Speaking at an event organised to express Catalonia’s support for Ukraine, the consul called for NATO to set up a no-fly zone as soon as possible to “protect the people of Ukraine and the nuclear facilities we have in our country. Otherwise, we will have a nuclear catastrophe and we will all suffer, not just the Ukrainians," he said.

Then, last night, Russian troops attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, setting parts of the complex alight. Sources in Kyiv said that if this exploded it would cause a disaster “ten times bigger than Chernobyl”.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the fire had not affected the main part of the plant, although flames had completely enveloped the third, fourth and fifth floors of the five-storey building. Fire fighters had difficulty in accessing the site because of the Russian bombardment.

Ukraine’s President Zelenski said that no country in the world except Russia had fired on nuclear plants. “It is the first time in our history, the first time in the history of humanity. This terrorist state is now turning to nuclear terror,” he said in a video statement.

The Zaporizhzhia plant has six of the 15 operative reactors in Ukraine, and is the country’s biggest energy supplier. It began operating in 1985, one year before the accident at Chernobyl, which is now under control of the Russian troops since heavy fighting in the area on 24 February, just after the Russian offensive began.

The latest news from the area is that the fire has now been extinguished, but the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is now also under Russian control. The US Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said there was no indication of elevated radiation levels at the plant.