Tensions at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant have alarmed the world

Tensions at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have alarmed the world. For days, Ukrainian and Russian officials have blamed each other for attacking the site, although who has done what remains unclear.

It’s hard to independently confirm what’s happening there, reports BBC.

Russian forces captured the complex in early March, although Ukrainian technicians are still operating it.

It’s not clear why Russia would attack a site it already controls. Observers have said it could be a strategy to play on Western fears of a nuclear disaster, and degrade the military support for Ukraine.

Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine’s state nuclear power company Enerhoatom, told me the workers are under pressure and in danger, and some had been captured, beaten and tortured.

Again, these are allegations that can’t be independently verified, but will certainly add to the concerns about the conditions at the plant.

Kotin said the Russian plan was to eventually disconnect the plant from Ukraine’s grid and link it to the Russian system, a claim we can’t verify.

Calls are growing for Russia to allow international inspectors to visit the site. For now, though, the plant is safe, Kotin said.