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Putin’s Bombing of the Largest Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine
I have been focusing on the developments in Ukraine — as have many of you — because of the human rights abuses that we repeatedly hear coming from the region.
Putin’s war has truly developed into something very few saw coming. In light of the invasion, many also called out the possibility of escalation, especially as many were calling for a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, which would directly bring NATO allies into the conflict.
Most realized how horrible of an idea that was and stopped calling for it. Despite that, fighting in Ukraine, especially around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, has put many of us on high alert.
Needless to say, nuclear disaster is a likely risk if the fighting in Zaporizhzhia — the largest nuclear power plant in Europe — escalates. I do not want to be a doomsday prophet, but the situation calls for a sober analysis.
The Zaporizhzhia power plant originally fell under Russia's control in the early stages of the invasion (in early March 2022), as it took Ukrainians (and the world) off guard. Russian troops managed to take some ground, but still fell massively short of their military targets.
The region was not overtly discussed in the media until recent days and weeks when shells hit a high-voltage line at the…
