Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Mental war about the nuclear power plant - Macron in conversation with Putin

 

Of: 

Hans Österman 

Published: Today 07.36 

Updated: Today 07.46 

NEWS 

The psychological war over Zaporizhzhya is escalating. 

Both Ukraine and Russia warn of a nuclear accident - but with different arguments. 

On Friday, French President Macron called Putin to talk about the tense situation at the nuclear power plant. 

Zaporizhzhya is Europe's largest nuclear power plant and has been under Russian control since March 4, when the plant came under heavy shelling and a building near the reactors caught fire(anläggningen utsattes för kraftig beskjutning och en byggnad nära reaktorerna började brinna.) 

Since then, the international atomic energy agency IAEA has sounded the alarm several times about the safety of the plant and about the situation of the Ukrainian personnel who are still working under Russian command. 

Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Photo: AP 

Just in recent days, Ukraine and Russia have intensified accusations against each other over Zaporizhzhia. 

Russia claimed on Thursday that Ukraine is planning an attack to then blame a radioactive leak on its adversary. Ukraine replied that it is Russia that is planning a sabotage - and that the "warning" is part of that plan. 

Energoatom: "They are looking for diesel" 

On Friday, the psychological war escalated even more. The state-owned company Energoatom, which operates Ukraine's nuclear power plants, said Russia plans to shut down the reactorsinZaporizhzhya.

This in turn would make the cooling of the reactor cores dependent on backup systems. 

"The Russian military is looking for suppliers of fuel for diesel generators that need to be started after a shutdown and in the absence of external power to the cooling systems," the statement from Energoatom read according to The Guardian. 

Officials in the West tell the newspaper that they share the concern about the data. A cooling failure is seen as a greater risk than the fighting because the reactor buildings are designed to withstand a direct hit from an aircraft. 

- It is a situation that we must all keep under very close supervision, says a source to The Guardian. Russia, for its part, accuses Ukraine of shelling Zaporozhye with artillery. 

Russia, for its part, accuses Ukraine of shelling Zaporozhye with artillery. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / AP 

Putin in conversation with Macron 

Russia, for its part, accuses Ukraine of shelling Zaporozhye with artillery. Vladimir Putin said on Friday that it could lead to "a large-scale catastrophe with radioactive contamination over large areas". 

He delivered the warning in an 85-minute conversation with Macron - their first in three months. According to both Macron and the Kremlin, however, Putin agreed that the IAEA will be allowed to send inspectors to the nuclear power plant "as soon as possible". 

Ukraine and Russia have recently accused each other of the fighting around Zaporizhzhya. According to President Zelenskyi, the Russian army is using the nuclear power plant as a shield and firing artillery fire from inside the area. 

On Friday, CNN published images of Russian military vehicles in a turbine hall next to one of the reactors.