• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
PoliticsUkraine invasion
Europe

Nuclear disaster fears grow as Russia rejects call to demilitarize Europe’s largest plant. UN warns this could be ‘suicide’

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 19, 2022, 7:27 AM ET
A Russian serviceman stands guard outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Energodar, on May 1, 2022.
A Russian serviceman stands guard outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Energodar, on May 1, 2022.Andrey Borodulin—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Russia has refused to comply with calls for the demilitarization of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, despite apocalyptic warnings about what could happen if conflict around the site continues.

Concern is mounting about safety at the plant—the largest nuclear power plant in Europe—amid accusations from both Russia and Ukraine that the other side is bombing the area.

As fears of an impending nuclear disaster continue to grow, employees at the plant have allegedly been told not to go to work on Friday amid speculation from both sides that an “incident” is being planned, according to an NBC News report.

Ukrainian officials later confirmed in a tweet that staff had been given a sudden day off.

‼️The Russian invaders have announced an unexpected ‘day off’ at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. On 19 August, only operational personnel will be stationed at the ZNPP. No other employees will be allowed to enter. THREAD 1/

— SPRAVDI — Stratcom Centre (@StratcomCentre) August 18, 2022

‘Another Chernobyl’

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued dire warnings about the fate of the plant if fighting there escalated and caused damages.

“We don’t want to experience another Chernobyl,” Erdogan said. “We’re exerting efforts for the termination of the conflicts [at the plant] by diplomatic means.”

“Any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide,” Guterres told reporters.

Western countries have repeatedly urged Moscow to withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

However, Ivan Nechayev, deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry’s information and press department, told journalists at a briefing on Thursday that such proposals were “unacceptable” to the Kremlin.

“Their implementation will make the plant even more vulnerable,” he said, referring to Erdogan and Guterres’s calls for Moscow to change course.

‘Powerless’

In a post on the Telegram messenger service on Thursday, Zaporizhzhia employees said they had “feelings of deep anxiety for the future” and were “powerless before human irresponsibility and madness.”

“Artillery strikes are becoming more and more powerful and dangerous every time, and the threat of destruction of critical nuclear security facilities is more and more real,” they said.

“Our planet is so small…It is absurd to assume that it will be possible to hide somewhere from the consequences of a large-scale nuclear disaster. The consequences may turn out to be an order of magnitude more terrible than the results of the tragedies in Chernobyl and Fukushima.”

Fortune was not able to independently verify the Telegram post.

‘Worst-case scenario’

In 1986, a nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine, caused by a combination of flawed Soviet reactor designs and mistakes being made by staff at the facility.

According to the World Nuclear Association, the accident was “a direct consequence of Cold War isolation.”

Leon Cizelj, president of the European Nuclear Society, told CNN on Thursday that in the unlikely case the Zaporizhzhia plant was damaged, it was doubtful the radioactive problems that would arise would spread beyond Ukraine, as seen in the Chernobyl disaster.

The Fukushima accident occurred in 2011, after a major earthquake triggered a tsunami that disabled the power supply needed for the cooling of three of the Japanese nuclear power plant’s reactors.

Cizelj told CNN the Fukushima disaster was a “worst-case scenario.”

On Thursday, Russia threatened to shut the Zaporizhzhia power plant down and warned that radioactive material could reach Germany, Poland, and Slovakia if an accident unfolded at the facility.

Zaporizhzhia has been the site of conflict for several months. Russian troops have been stationed there since they seized the plant—which is still being run by Ukrainian technicians—in March.

Early on in the war, a fire at the nuclear power station, brought about by a Russian shelling attack, led to an alert from Zelenskyy that an explosion at Zaporizhzhia would spell “the end of Europe.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei speaking into a microphone.
NewslettersEye on AI
Decision on Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos models means the U.S. has a licensing regime for frontier AI—it just doesn’t want to admit it
By Jeremy KahnJune 16, 2026
3 hours ago
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
EconomyFederal Reserve
Trump turned the dollar into a foreign policy tool, and now risks undermining the currency’s extraordinary status, think tank says
By Tristan BoveJune 16, 2026
5 hours ago
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Kevin Warsh arrives to his swearing-in ceremony to be the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve in the East Room of the White House on May 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.
EconomyKevin Warsh
Kevin Warsh’s first Fed test is here: He must navigate hawks ‘on the offensive’ and Wall Street’s hunger for details on regime change
By Eleanor PringleJune 16, 2026
7 hours ago
Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, at Bloomberg House
AIAnthropic
The shutdown of Anthropic’s Mythos model sparks a global scramble for sovereign AI
By Beatrice NolanJune 16, 2026
9 hours ago
trump
Middle EastIran
Iran, Trump have a common problem in their deal to end the war: Israel
By Jon Gambrell, Sam Metz, Samy Magdy and The Associated PressJune 16, 2026
10 hours ago
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while aboard Air Force One en route to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on June 5, 2026.
Economynational debt
Tariffs are only generating 25% of the revenue needed to pay interest on national debt—despite pitch that it would be a silver bullet
By Eleanor PringleJune 16, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
10 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 15, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.