Dmytro Smolienko/Reuters
Russian military trucks emblazoned with the ominous “Z” that has come to symbolize Vladimir Putin’s deadly intentions in Ukraine have been spotted right inside the turbine halls as Russia—on Friday—dismissed calls to demilitarize the most dangerous nuclear power plant in Europe.
Pleas for help from Ukrainian workers held hostage inside the Russian-controlled plant are ominous. “What is happening is horrific and beyond common sense and morality,” they wrote on Telegram. Constant shelling ricochets off the reactors, causing untold damage, they say, warning that if the attacks don’t stop soon, “nuclear fuel will begin melting, resulting in a release of radioactive substances to the environment.”
The increased tension has sparked concern across the region, with the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warning that Russia’s refusal to demilitarize the plant could lead to a deadly outcome. “Military equipment and personnel should be withdrawn from the plant. Further deployment of forces or equipment to the site must be avoided. The area needs to be demilitarized,” Gutteres said after he met with Ukraine president Volodmyr Zelensky, who has accused Russia of triggering fighting in the area. Russia, instead, says Ukraine is shooting first. “We must tell it like it is—any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide.”