Ukraine’s reactor has been damaged by Russian shelling and the UN has asked to be given access to the site
The UN has called for international inspectors to be given access to the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia,
The presence of the water-cooled reactors, as well as a spent fuel storage facility, on the large and sprawling site has led Russia to use it as a so called “sheltered” artillery park, using the facilities to fire on Ukrainian positions in the belief that Ukraine would not fire back and risk a nuclear accident.
While Ukraine’s objective – to see the plant treated as a demilitarised area – is an entirely prudent call it would also serve a military objective by denying Russian forces the use of a plant from which they can shell with relative impunity. The reactors are designed to withstand substantial impact – think of a civilian airliner crashing into them – protected with steel and reinforced concrete as well as fire protection systems, although a strike from a substantial missile might be more problematic.
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