Lithuanian PM on Zaporizhzhia NPP attack: no limits for Putin's army

VILNIUS – Russian troops' action against the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Europe's largest, shows that there are no limits for "Putin's army", Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says.

She also tried to calm people in Lithuania down and said the situation was being closely monitored.

"It just sows that there are no limits and restrictions for Putin's army. I would just wish to tell Lithuanian people as I see that information and that concern, so our institutions are really not recording any changes in radiation. That situation is being closely monitored," the prime minister told reporters on Friday after her meeting with European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Bretonu.

According to the prime minister, the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power might lead to new sanctions for Russia, and the issue will be raised by Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in Brussels on Friday.

"I believe it’s a very important circumstance that will be taken into account. The Foreign Affairs Council is meeting in Brussels today, and, with no doubt, those issues will be discussed, and Minister Landsbergis will raise this issue," Simonyte said.

"We are following this event extremely closely and we see that situation, unfortunately, is getting worse. We prepared ourselves for that. And as the prime minister just said, this is a situation that will unfortunately continue and we have to be prepared, of course, to other things to happen. But, of course we are, all of us, ready to act fast and strong and we are, of course, already thinking what could be the next sanctions," Breton said.

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian emergency services said Russian forces attacked Europe's largest nuclear facility, and a fire broke out. A regional military administration's statement later said the fire was extinguished and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant's 1st reactor unit was damaged but that has no impact on the block's safety.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Friday accused Moscow of resorting to "nuclear terrorism" and trying to "repeat" the Chernobyl disaster.

During the two-week war, Russian forces have also seized the control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of posing threat to the whole of Europe, and he also vowed to seek that an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held.