Norway has stepped up preparedness in the last week due to the situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (AP) said.
“There is a very serious situation in Ukraine. For the first time, a military conflict is taking place in the middle of a large nuclear power plant,” Støre told NTB.
Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned of a potential major disaster at the nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March.
“Playing with fire”
“We are playing with fire, and something very, very catastrophic could happen,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said.
On Friday, the IAEA sounded the alarm again about the nuclear power plant after a power cut.
“Attacks have caused a complete blackout in the town of Enerhodar and pose a safety hazard to the operation of the nearby Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant,” Grossi tweeted on Friday afternoon.
“Unsettling”
“The IAEA’s latest report is unsettling, and I fully understand that people find this frightening. There is a danger that emissions could occur as a result of the hostilities,” Støre said, recalling the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
“I notice that many people in Norway are worried, and I want to assure everyone that this is something we are following closely. The government and I have been keen to ensure that we have good (nuclear) preparedness. We have that. The Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA) works on this every day and collaborates closely with all sectors,” he said.
Cooperation with other countries
“We also work closely with other countries and have made plans for what we can do. In addition, we are working with Ukraine to strengthen monitoring at the nuclear power plant,” he added.
Støre strongly encouraged Russia to withdraw its forces from the power plant.
According to Reuters, a draft resolution condemning Russia’s actions at Zaporizhzhia has been drafted, which could be adopted at an IAEA meeting next week.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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A false reassurance. If Norway *did* have “good” nuclear preparedness, every man, woman, and child would know exactly where their fallout shelter which they/we can reach in 20 minutes is and that it is stockpiled for weeks if not months with basic essentials and that it will be governed by Norwegian – not vigilante, mafiya, or some other – law.
Meanwhile, with U.S. and NATO – and Peace Prize Norway – military assistance, the Ukraine Army has scored a breakthrough at Izyum southeast of Kharkiv, and may have another soon to be unleashed elsewhere. If it can keep this operational momentum and territorial victories going into East Ukraine and elsewhere, it could bolster Western morale enough to withstand and defeat Putin’s strategic energy/economic war strategy.
The time element is crucial. Which will win – operations or strategy?
Putin’s limited, gradual escalation “special military operation” program may now fail completely … unless the point has come he decides he must escalate militarily.
About that, again, please see my 3May22 column posted both on Yahoo! News and Finance, “Lou Coatney: Russia now left with no choice but nuclear war” … for which – unless the West suddenly gets smart and leans on Ukraine to accept a tough treaty – “nuclear preparation” has been even more, criminally neglected, putting our families and children in terminally dire peril.
There are now reports of the Ukrainians advancing 50 miles and about to take control of Izyum. So it looks like the Russians are collapsing on the northeastern front, and there is that speculation Kyiv has another “tank fist” assault force ready to unleash elsewhere.
Has the decision point finally come about Russian *strategic*military* escalation … or conventional war surrender? Is the latter even thinkable for the Russians?
Ethnic and/or pro-Russian Ukrainians/families are reportedly trying to flee, in peril of their lives.
This is unquestionably the most internationally dangerous moment of this entirely unnecessary – provoked and preventable neocon – war, so far.