The Ukrainian General Staff reported on Tuesday that Russia has carried out artillery and air strikes in the Zaporizhia region, raising concerns about a potential catastrophic nuclear incident near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The attacks come just a day before the anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union, which is on Wednesday. Kyiv has banned public celebrations due to fears of further attacks amidst the war that the United Nations stated on Monday has killed over 5,500 civilians.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv also warned in a statement of Russian plans to strike civilian and government infrastructure in the coming days. Ukraine stated that Russia launched artillery fire and conducted air raids on several towns in Zaporizhia near the frontline in the south, after Russian forces took control of the nuclear power plant shortly after their invasion on February 24.
Artillery and rocket fire near the Zaporizhia nuclear reactor complex, located on the southern bank of the Dnipro River, has led to calls for demilitarization of the area. Local residents expressed fears that shells could hit one of the six reactors at the plant, leading to dire consequences. Alexander Liverinko, a resident of the nearby town of Enerhodar, said on Monday, "Of course we are worried... it feels like sitting on a powder keg."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow may attempt to carry out "something very terrible" in the lead-up to the 31st anniversary of independence on Wednesday, which also marks six months since the Russian invasion began. Fearing renewed missile attacks, authorities in Kyiv have moved to ban public events related to the independence anniversary from Monday to Thursday.
Kyiv is far from the front lines and has rarely been hit by Russian missiles since Ukraine repelled a ground attack to seize the capital in March. In Kharkiv, the northeastern city that has repeatedly come under artillery and long-range missile fire, Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced the extension of a nighttime curfew starting from Tuesday to Thursday, beginning at 4 PM until 7 AM.
Fears of attacks have escalated after the Russian Federal Security Service accused Ukrainian agents on Monday of killing Darya Dugina, the daughter of a nationalist thinker, in a car bomb attack near Moscow that President Vladimir Putin described as "vile." Ukraine denies involvement in the incident. Both sides have traded accusations regarding the repeated shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of deploying troops and storing military equipment there. Russia denies this and accuses Ukraine of targeting Zaporizhia with drones.
The state-owned Russian news agency reported, citing Dmitry Polyansky, the deputy ambassador to the United Nations, that Moscow has requested a United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation concerning the Zaporizhia plant.
