Russia Attacked Chernobyl nuclear plant

 Russian forces Attacked Chernobyl nuclear plant and hold staff hostage: Ukrainian officials

Russian forces have seized control of the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, and are holding staff hostage, according to Ukranian officials. Troops overran the plant on the first day of Russia's multi-pronged invasion of Ukraine, a spokesperson for the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Yevgeniya Kuznetsovа, told CNN. Alyona Shevtsova, advisor to the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, said on Facebook that Russian forces have taken control of the power station and that the staff are being "held hostage." According to Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, control of the Chornobyl zone was lost after a "fierce battle." Podolyak said the condition of the former Chernobyl power plant's nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown. "After a completely senseless Russian attack in this direction, it is impossible to say that Chernobyl is safe," Podolyak added. "This is one of the most serious threats to Europe today." State of play: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier Thursday that Russian forces were attempting to capture the nuclear power plant. "Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated. ... This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe," Zelensky wrote in a tweet. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in a tweet also warned that a Russian attack on Ukraine "may cause another ecological disaster." "In 1986, the world saw the biggest technological disaster in Chernobyl. ... If Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022," the ministry wrote. The Chernobyl power plant was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident when a nuclear reactor exploded in 1986, sending radioactive contamination across Europe #chernobyl#russia#ukraine#