Kyiv has told Ukrainians not to panic or stockpile iodine tablets after President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged that Russia threatened to organise a radiation leak at an occupied nuclear plant.
Zelensky disclosed this week that Russian forces controlling Zaporizhzhia which Europe’s biggest nuclear plant were planning a “terror attack” by orchestrating a radiation leakThe Kremlin said it was a “lie” but the president’s warning put many Ukrainians on alert and sent demand for iodine at many pharmacies skyrocketing.
“Read and share but don’t panic! Don’t play the enemy’s game. President Zelensky said nothing new,” the Ukrainian health ministry said late on Thursday.
“Russia is a terrorist country from which, like a monkey with a grenade, you can expect anything.”
In a separate statement on Friday, the ministry warned against the adverse effects of incorrectly administering iodine, adding that it could even be fatal.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said authorities were monitoring the situation.
“Specialists are ready for various scenarios,” he said on social media.
An incident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could release radioactive iodine into the atmosphere and in turn increase the risk of thyroid cancer, as happened after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The tablets can help prevent radioactive iodine from concentrating in the thyroid gland so it can be flushed out of the body naturally.
