| Soldiers amass near nuclear plant |
| Russia and Ukraine are ramping up their military forces in southern Ukraine. Now, concerns are rising about what an escalation in fighting could mean for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the top U.N. nuclear official said yesterday. |
| “The situation is not improving,” said the official, Rafael Mariano Grossi, who crossed the front line to reach the Russian-controlled complex yesterday. “It is obvious that military activity is increasing in this whole region, so every possible measure and precaution should be taken so that the plant is not attacked and can be protected.” |
| Russian forces seized the nuclear plant — the largest in Europe — more than a year ago. They have used artillery stationed there to launch attacks on nearby towns. Grossi has warned that shelling around the plant — some of which has hit critical equipment — could lead to a catastrophic nuclear accident. |
| In an implicit rebuke to Russia, he said: “This is a nuclear power plant. It is not a military base. It should never be a military base.” |
| In the same region: A new round of explosions shook Melitopol, a Russian-occupied city that is a priority for Ukraine to retake. (The nuclear plant is around 80 miles northwest of the city.) Recapturing Melitopol would build on Ukraine’s successes late last year: The military retook Russian-occupied areas in two nearby regions, Kharkiv and Kherson. |
| The surrounding area: The nuclear plant lies on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, behind Russian lines. Ukrainian forces are stationed on the western shore of the river across from the plant, and they also hold ground on the east side of the river, about 35 miles from the complex. |
