The war launched by Vladimir Putin once morest Ukraine has pushed the European Union to a historic leap as a geostrategic force by becoming deeply involved in a military conflict. The European Commission created a cell on Monday to direct and coordinate the purchase of weapons for Kiev, and decided to mobilize the community satellite center to provide espionage services. We show you the most shocking photos of the Russian invasion
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The war in Ukraine, the first conflict in history in a nuclear country
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
Russian troops invading Ukraine approached, Wednesday, March 2, the largest power plant in Europe, that of Zaporijjia, located in the center of the country. Never has a war taken place in a nuclearized country. An unprecedented threat, which prompted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to convene an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors in Vienna on the same day.
→ LIVE. War in Ukraine: follow the 7th day of the armed conflict with Russia
According to the IAEA, 51.2% of Ukrainian electricity production comes from nuclear power. The country operates 16 reactors including four power plants, not counting Chernobyl, a symbolic place of the dangers of the atom since the explosion of a reactor in 1986. The plant still contains 20,000 cubic meters of waste and its capture by the army Russian at the start of the invasion generated a lot of concern.
→ ANALYSIS. Taking of Chernobyl: does the war in Ukraine pose a nuclear risk?
Radioactivity increased at Chernobyl
Shortly following the fighting, the IAEA noted that the rate radioactivity had increased in the surroundings, before returning to acceptable levels, probably because of the vibrations linked to the passage of the tanks, which raised the contaminated dust from the roads. A nuclear accident in Chernobyl, which is surrounded by a large exclusion zone, would, however, be less serious than a scenario where an operating plant is affected.
It seems unlikely that Russia is directly targeting one of these installations, even if Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry, affirmed on February 26 that enemy soldiers had pointed their rockets in the direction of the Zaporizhja power station. On the other hand, there are many risks of accidents.
The fear of a new Fukushima
First, there is the hypothesis of an accidental shooting, all the more worrying as the Russian shootings are more and more frequent. A radioactive waste storage center located in Kiev has already been hit by a missile, without being damaged, reminds the IAEA. The bombings are also likely to destroy power lines and interrupt the cooling of power stations. This is what happened in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan, causing the most serious nuclear disaster of the 21st century.
→ STORY. Fukushima, an endless rescue
Finally, the IAEA says it fears that the war will prevent plant personnel from working properly, which might lead to breaches of security measures. “Personnel at all nuclear facilities [doit] to be able to rest,pleaded the agency. It insists that persons having effective control of these sites do not take “no measure likely to compromise their safety or subject them to undue pressure”.
Wwill Putin attack us too? Is there a world war coming? How are the children in Ukraine? A lot of parents get asked these kinds of questions right now. Finding good answers is not easy, it is a balancing act. There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for talking to children regarding something as monstrous as a war, for trying to explain to them what is happening in Eastern Europe, for allaying their fears. But there are some good tips and help. Most importantly, it is wrong to try to remain silent regarding the war, to ignore it.
You cannot protect children from reality and the rapidly spreading news. Basically, all child psychologists who comment on how to talk to children regarding wars or terrorist attacks point this out. Because as a rule, the children get it anyway, at school, in the following-school care center, on the school playground, that something bad is happening in the world. In any case, it is better to talk to them regarding it in detail and sensitively than to leave them alone with their worries.
The confrontation between Russia and the main European countries around the conflict in Ukraine is also played out in the cultural field. And the sanctions once morest Vladimir Putin’s regime also affect Russian artists who are used to performing in Europe and thus find themselves banned from the main Western stages.
This is particularly the case of the famous conductor Valery Guergiev. Replaced this weekend at short notice during a series of concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York because, the famous director of the Mariinsky theater in Saint Petersburg was summoned by the mayor of Munich, where he has directed the philharmonic orchestra since 2015 from “clearly and categorically distance oneself from Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine”, if he wants to keep his job.
→ REPORT. Eat, protect yourself, or flee… Kiev at the time of war
Thursday, February 24, the director of the Milanese Scala, Dominique Meyer and the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, had already asked the Russian maestro to make a statement pleading for a “peaceful solution” of the conflict under pain of seeing his performances of the opera, The queen of spadesscheduled between March 5 and 13, compromised.
A conductor criticized
The 68-year-old conductor, reputedly close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had previously faced widespread criticism for endorsing Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and participating in concerts in bombed-out South Ossetia and in Palmyra alongside the Syrian army. “Valery Guergiev has long supported Russia’s aggressive foreign policy and President Putin”regretted the director of the Czech Academy of Classical Music, Robert Kolar, who announced his deprogramming of the Prague Dvorak festival, scheduled for September.
Performances of the Bolshoi Ballet scheduled for this summer at the Royal Opera House in London have also been canceled due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “A summer season of the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House was in the final planning stages. Unfortunately, given the current situation, the season cannot take place.”the Covent Garden Opera House said in a statement.
Russia has also been banned from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest whose 66th edition final is due to take place on May 14 in Italy, its organizer fearing for the reputation of one of the most popular cultural events in the world. ‘Europe. “We remain committed to protecting the values of a cultural competition that promotes international exchange and mutual understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music and unites all of Europe on one stage of performance”underlines the spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Questions around the Morozov collection
Finally, questions arise regarding the future of the famous Morozov collection currently on display at the Vuitton Foundation. About 200 works by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Bonnard, Monet or Manet have been exhibited since September 22 alongside Russian painters. Asked regarding the possible seizure of its masterpieces under Western sanctions, the Foundation, which declared itself ” worry “ in the face of events affirmed that she would respond “to the requirements of the situation”but argued that, “As with any major loan of works of art, the collection is protected by an exemption from seizure”. The collection is due to return to Russia on April 3. “We have not received any calls from our Russian partners, nor from the embassy (of Russia in France)”said the foundation.
→ ANALYSIS. Behind the Morozov exhibition
Another consequence of the conflict, the Frenchman Laurent Hilaire, former star dancer of the Paris Opera resigned on Sunday February 27 from his post as director of the ballet troupe at the Stanislavski Theater in Moscow and is preparing to leave Moscow. “I regret this decision, I worked in harmony (with the theater teams), I leave with sadness but the context no longer allows me to work peacefully”he explained.