Anti-radiation iodine tablets distributed to residents amid atomic leak fears at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant occupied by Russian forces

• Idoine tablets were distributed to locals living near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
• Since it was occupied by Putin's forces, there have been fears of a possible radiation leak from the plant.

In an ominous development, iodine tablets are being handed out to residents living near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces, amid fears of a possible radiation leak.

Iodine tablets help to block the thyroid gland from absorbing nuclear radiation, which can cause thyroid cancer, according to the CDC.

AP reports that the tablets were distributed on Friday in Zaporizhzhia, about 27 miles from the plant.

The distribution of the tablets comes just one day after the plant sustained fire damage to a transmission line, causing the plant to be knocked offline for the first time in its history. Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power agency, later said the plant had been reconnected to the grid and was producing electricity "for Ukraine's needs."

"The nuclear workers of the Zaporizhzhia power plant are real heroes! They tirelessly and firmly uphold the nuclear and radiation safety of Ukraine and the whole of Europe on their shoulders," the agency said in a statement to AP.

Europe narrowly avoided a nuclear disaster, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed.

But shelling was reported in the area overnight, and satellite images showed fires burning around the complex — Europe's biggest nuclear plant — over the last several days, said AP.

Russia has occupied the power plant since the beginning of the invasion, with British intelligence saying, "Russia's intentions regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain unclear. However, the actions they have undertaken at the facility have likely undermined the security and safety of the plant's normal operations."

There has been persistent concern over the threat of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine due to the Zaporizhzhia — the largest nuclear plant in Europe — plant sustaining damage due to nearby fighting.

On August 11, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said, "military actions near such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences," he said.

"Based on the most recent information provided by Ukraine, IAEA experts have preliminarily assessed that there is no immediate threat to nuclear safety as a result of the shelling or other recent military actions," Grossi explained. "However, this could change at any moment."

Statements on official Telegram channels report shelling to infrastructure in the Zaporizhzhia region, with reports of loud explosions and air sirens.

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that a visit by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency should take place "very quickly," saying "civilian nuclear power must not be an instrument of war," AP reports.