in northeastern ukraine. it s really unimaginable.offici three dozen were killed and many more injured. now as feared, nato secretary general says russia is using banned cluster bombs in ukraine. russian forces continue making significant advances in the south of ukraine adding to the growing humanitarian crisis we ve been seeing play out. so let s get started with our coverage right now. cnn s nick paton walsh live in odesa. what s the latest you are seeing, hearing, learning about this nuclear plant? reporter: describes what we saw overnight, frankly to report words you never imagine would come of your mouth but according to the director of the international atomic energy authority, this is, quote, a close call. they believe that the integrity of the reactors is untouched and so ukrainian officials have talked about damage to some of the external buildings, not the main six reactors but you said
is not a threat to russia. we will, however, defend our territory. that goes to your second point. we have moved nato reinforcements including british reinforcements, american reinforcements into nato southern and eastern flank and ready to defend nato territory. nato is not a threat to russia, however. very disturbing to see the attack on the nuclear power station from russia. it looks like russia just wants to find new ways to violate international law. martha: . neil: the russians have said this is not a deliberate attack on a nuclear target. what did you make of that? they would say that, wouldn t they? they ve had universal condemnation from around the world and including from the u.n. security council that your reporter alluded to just now, including from the international atomic energy authority. in one way, i don t know whether it s worth that may meant to hit
melted down and was brought under control with a great deal of loss of life. the teams there who were captured by the russian military had been there for more than a week also unable to switch out. putting enormous stress on these nuclear facilities and coming at a time when the u.s. ambassador to the united nations has said that russian forces are now about 20 miles from the southern ukraine nuclear facility, one that has three reactors rather than the six just south of zapor zaporizhzhia. but nonetheless the second largest in the country. and there are deep, deep fears that that too could fall into russian hands. so far, though, the international atomic energy authority has said that the reactors are in the hands of the russians, have not had any serious damage done to them, there are no radiation leaks. sam kiley, cnn, in dnipro. now, the biden administration is watching all of this from washington of course and keeping
they ve had to run for their lives. they ve only come 30 odd miles away from a nuclear power station with which the international atomic energy authority has now lost contact. the ukrainians have alleged the staff left behind enduring torture. we have no independent verification of that, but that s an allegation made by the russians who have captured the power station. there are concerns that power station may not be run properly. they ve escaped all of that and these guys in comparison to what s happened people, is happening to people in mariupol, are relatively fortunate. they ve been brought in on these buses, anderson. they re going to be transfer and registered nearby. given medical help, then put on more modern buses and taken to places where they can get some rest. but this is perhaps the beginning of a journey that may take them all the way out of the country to poland or somewhere like that. and there s no end in sight for this. it goes on.
that was of course the scene of a nuclear catastrophe in the 1980s that poisoned huge swaths of the landscape from the british isles to russia when it melted down and was brought under control with a great deal of loss of life. the teams there who were captured by the russian military had been there for more than a week also unable to switch out. putting enormous stress on these nuclear facilities and coming at a time when the u.s. ambassador to the united nations has said that russian forces are now about 20 miles from the southern ukraine nuclear facility, one that has three reactors rather than the six just south of zaporizhzhia. but nonetheless the second largest in the country. and there are deep, deep fears that that too could fall into russian hands. so far, though, the international atomic energy authority has said that the reactors are in the hands of the russians, have not had any serious damage done to them, there are no radiation leaks. sam kiley, cnn, in dnipro.