The National Nuclear Security Administration Under Secretary Jill Hruby spoke of the recent Russian takeover of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe.
Russian forces fought Ukrainian personnel near the Zaporizhzhia plant, and a fire broke out in an administrative office of the plant. As a result of the fighting, several of the six reactors were either shut off or switched to lower power output. The facility was then taken over by the Russian forces.
Across the globe, many followed the fighting with horror, fearing a nuclear meltdown similar to that of the Chernobyl disaster, which occurred in Ukraine nearly 36 years ago.
On a March 4 segment with CNN, Hruby said concerns about nuclear fallout were mostly unwarranted, stating the artillery used in battle weren't of a high-enough grade to do significant damage to the facility.
"It is a bad idea to militarily take over a nuclear power plant and we strongly condemn Russia for fighting near a nuclear power plant, but in this particular situation, there was never a threat of a nuclear disaster," said Hruby.
In a March 7 tweet, Hruby stated radiation sensors remained operational and the NNSA saw no readings that rose concern. While she assuaged fears of a weapon-induced meltdown, she said the Russian occupation of the facility prevented safe operation due to operators being unable to work without duress.
