New Delhi: Amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia attacked news agency IANS on another nuclear research facility in Ukraine.
This time the Russian military targeted a nuclear research station in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said a nuclear research facility producing radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications has been damaged in shelling by Russian forces, reported IANS.
Grossi confirmed the attack on Monday, saying the incident happened a day earlier and that there was no leakage or increased radiation levels at the site.
“Since nuclear material at the facility is always sub-critical and the list of radioactive material is very short, the IAEA’s assessment confirmed that the damage caused would have no radiological consequences,” the director general was quoted as saying by IANS.
In his statement, Grossi further said that Sunday’s incident “has once again highlighted the risks faced by Ukraine’s nuclear installations during the armed conflict, as part of an IAEA initiative aimed at ensuring nuclear safety and security in the country.” for immediate addition”.
“We already have a number of incidents compromising security at nuclear sites in Ukraine,” he said.
On 4 March, Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine, setting a building on fire used for training. As a result some reactors shut down. Later, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine managed to get the fire under control.
The Zaporizhzhia plant is the largest in Europe and accounts for a fifth of the total electricity produced in Ukraine.
Ukraine is the same country that witnessed the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, when steam explosions and fires released at least 5 percent of radioactive reactor cores into the environment, affecting many parts of Europe.