Ukraine Given Anti-Radiation Pills as Clashes Intensify Near Nuclear Plant

The European Union has given Ukraine 5.5 million anti-radiation tablets as a precaution for people living close to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant, amid fears that intense fighting around the facility could cause a nuclear disaster.

"All military action around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant must stop immediately. On Ukraine's request, we've mobilised via #EUCivPro 5.5 million potassium iodide tablets for the safety of people living around the plant. We continue to monitor the situation," said the EU Commission on its official Twitter account.

The Commission described the tablets "as a preventative safety measure to increase the level of protection around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant." The tablets would be used in limited scenarios to avoid inhaled or swallowed radioactive iodine being absorbed by the thyroid, it said in a statement.

Potassium iodide can protect people from radiation-induced thyroid cancer. The facility, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, provides energy for Ukraine and several other European countries. It was one of the first sites seized by President Vladimir Putin's forces after the war broke out at the end of February, but it's still run by Ukrainian staff.

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other several times of shelling near the plant, which is located near Enerhodar, a city of around 53,000 in southeastern Ukraine. On Sunday, Ukrainian officials said at least 10 civilians were wounded in a shelling by Russian forces in residential areas.

The site is just over 300 miles from where the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe occurred in 1986 and officials fear that if the fighting continues near the plant, there might be another disaster on a similar or larger scale. The Ukrainian state-owned company Energoatom, which runs the plant, has warned of a danger of "sputtering of radioactive substances" if the conflict at the plant continues.

Officials from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are due to visit the plant this week.

In a tweet on Monday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that the safety and security of the facility must be protected.

Although both Russian and Ukrainian officials appeared to welcome the trip, Russian politician Mikhail Delyagin suggested on state television that the IAEA might place mines on the site during their visit.

Both Kyiv and Moscow said they would ensure the mission's safety in the territory it controls.

The New York Times reported on August 27 that Grossi's delegation will be made up of "13 other experts from mostly neutral countries".

"Neither the United States nor Britain, countries that Russia scorns as unfairly biased because of their strong support for Ukraine, is represented," the Times wrote.

Last week, Energoatom said that the plant was disconnected from the power grid for the first time ever. Russian officials denied this, saying that the plant was operating normally and there was no complete shutdown.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries for comment.