Zelensky Warns Russia May Cause 'Largest Radiation Accident In History', Worse Than Chernobyl

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday warned that Russia could cause a nuclear disaster worse than Chernobyl as Moscow's forces continue to shell the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Speaking at a conference, Zelensky said a nuclear disaster could happen even without Russia using nuclear weapons. He also stressed that it would be impossible to stop the spread of radiation once the wind carries it.

However, he noted that a potential nuclear disaster could be averted if the whole world stands together to stop Russia, which he called a "terrorist state," by boosting sanctions against Moscow's entire nuclear industry.

"I am sure each of you has already thought about how to act if Russia uses so-called tactical nuclear weapons. Think about this as well. Russia can cause the largest radiation accident in history at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In terms of actual consequences, it could be even more catastrophic than Chernobyl, and in fact - the same as the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, but without a nuclear strike," Zelensky said in a speech at the Conference of Defense Ministers of Northern European Countries and Ukraine.

Zelensky's warning comes as Russian forces on Thursday fired at least five strikes on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and buildings in surrounding areas, hitting a command post, welding area, fire department and a storage of radiation sources.

Russian forces launched a second attack on Thursday evening, this time hitting and damaging a domestic sewage pumping station and several radiation sensors. The attack hit close to the first power unit of the nuclear plant, according to a Telegram post from Ukraine's national nuclear company Energoatom.

On August 6, the Russian military also fired rockets at the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar. The attack hit a site at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that was directly next to an area where Ukraine stores its spent nuclear fuel. Three radiation monitoring sensors were also damaged in the attack making it impossible for the nuclear plant's workers to quickly detect or respond to possible radiation leakage.

Apart from the shelling, the Russian army is also holding Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant workers at gunpoint, per BBC.