US blames Russia for breaking nuclear safety rules in Ukraine

The US blames Russia for breaking nuclear safety rules in Ukraine.

Washington: The US accused Russia of breaking nuclear safety norms in Ukraine on Friday (March 11, 2022), demanding that its invading forces halt firing on nuclear power stations, but stressed that no indicators of a radioactive release had yet been discovered.

In a Twitter message, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated that radiation sensors in much of Ukraine were still operational, despite the lack of data from safety monitors at Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power station.

Both installations are under Russian authority, but Ukrainians run them in conditions that the International Atomic Energy Agency claims to jeopardize the facilities’ safety.

“Russia’s reckless conduct and violations of nuclear safety rules continue to worry us,” Granholm added.

“We’re keeping an eye on allegations of damage to a Kharkiv research site. The immediate safety danger is minor, but Russia’s ongoing firing on nuclear power plants must end, “she stated

The Russian military accused Ukrainian soldiers of a “provocation” after combat. It alleged shelling outside the Zaporizhzhia plant a week ago.

Granholm said the US could not corroborate rumors that Chernobyl’s power had been restored. On Thursday, Russia’s energy ministry said Belarusian experts had restored power to the Chernobyl nuclear power facility.

Ukraine and its allies are concerned about Russia’s invasion’s threat to the country’s nuclear infrastructure, including power plants and research institutions.

The director of a nuclear research center in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s northeastern city, said the institute’s grounds had been hit by Russian shelling during recent combat. Still, the core storing nuclear material was unharmed.