The State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine announced during the early morning hours on Sunday that Russian missiles have hit a radioactive waste disposal site near the capital city of Kyiv.
“As of February 27, 2022 at 01:20 Kyiv time as a result of the mass bombing of Kyiv with all types of anti-aircraft and missile weapons available to the Russian Federation, the missiles hit the radioactive waste disposal site of the Kyiv branch of the State Specialized Enterprise ‘Radon,’” the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine said in a statement. “Notification was announced by telephone by Radon personnel, who are in the shelter. As a result of the mass [shelling], which is still ongoing it is currently not possible to assess the extent of the destruction.”
“The automated radiation monitoring system failed. But the surveillance cameras recorded the falling missiles. Assessment of the radiation situation will be carried out by portable devices after the shooting termination,” the statement continued. “According to the preliminary assessment of the SNRIU, there are no threat of radioactive protection for people outside the sanitary protection zone of the RWD Radon.”
The New York Times highlighted the most recent developments out of Ukraine:
- Russian forces bombarded Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, again on Saturday night, after a day of pitched fights around the city. Most of the more than 150,000 Russian troops who had massed around Ukraine are now fighting in the country, U.S. officials said.
- Russian forces have killed at least 198 people, including three children, and 1,115 people, including 33 children, have been wounded, according to the Ukrainian National Guard, and a U.N. official said more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees had fled.
The Ukrainian government has implored its citizens to take up arms, including Molotov cocktails, to fight back against the invading Russian forces.
Amid the fight, the U.S. has reportedly offered to evacuate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Zelensky refuses to leave and reportedly told U.S. officials: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”
“Anyone who wants to come over here and defend our country, please come, and we will give you arms,” Zelensky told the media on Saturday. “Anybody defends will have been glorified.”
Zelensky made the same offer earlier in the week, saying in a statement, “We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.”
“We will lift sanctions on all citizens of Ukraine who are ready to defend our country as part of territorial defense with weapons in hands,” Zelenksy continued.
NATO activated the NATO Response Force for the first time ever on Friday, which readies thousands of soldiers who are part of the multinational force consisting of land, air, sea, and special operations forces.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned during a press conference on Friday that Putin’s “objectives are not limited to Ukraine.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.