I was stunned by the video of fighting around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Ukraine.  I believe this was near to the home of my mother when she was a very young girl emigrating to Canada. Now Russians and Ukrainians were madly fighting to control this site as it housed the largest nuclear reactor in Europe. It was under threat by Russian gunfire and missiles. The first report came from an employee at the plant, who posted on Telegram that Russian forces had fired on the facility and there was “a real threat of nuclear danger at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.”  We were told that the chances of explosion, nuclear meltdown or radioactive release are “low” by Tony Irwin, an honorary associate professor at the Australian National University. I don’t know about you, but when I think of nuclear meltdown, I would want the chances to be non-existent, not low.

International nuclear officials were biting their nails worrying about what would happen but assuring us that the fire was on the perimeter of the site.  The Ukrainian President Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the other hand said all of Europe was at risk. Was he amplifying the danger to put pressure on Europe political leaders to offer more help to Ukraine? Perhaps. Was the Russian attack a case of monstrous recklessness? Absolutely! Did it matter that the prevailing winds from the site are primarily to the east, putting Russians in the greatest danger? Not to Putin. Does Putin care about risks to Russian people? The answer seems obvious.

CBC commentator Andrew Coyne opined that the war would amount to a “slaughter” of the Ukrainians. Yet Ukrainians all say–at least those left behind–that Ukraine will never surrender. Meanwhile, Putin says the war is going according to plan. Is this what he planned? He said he wants a new government for Ukraine. This reminded me of statements by the American Vice-President Dick Cheney and his loyal henchman Donald Rumsfeld they wanted regime change in Iraq. Are Russians filled with as much hubris as Americans?

Fighting is always reckless. Around a nuclear plant it seems mad.