Team News Riveting
Europe’s largest ammonia plant in the north-eastern Ukrainian city Sumy had been damaged in the Russian artillery bombarding that resulted in the release of poisonous gas.
The gas billowing more than two kilometers has created panic. threatening local residents and livestock. Russian Federation (RF) artillery shells striking near the village Novoselitsia hit property owned by Sumykhimprom, Ukraine’s biggest ammonia manufacturer, a statement by the Sumy regional command said.
Explosions damaged a 50-ton ammonia containment vessel, releasing poison gas capable, in sufficient concentration, of killing people and livestock by suffocation. The official statement warned local residents to keep at least a 2.5 kilometer distance from the site, and said emergency response teams had contained the leak.
Images from the scene showed smashed support structures and a containment tank covered with white foam. There was immediate danger to villages and other inhabited locations in the vicinity, the statement said.
Residents of the northern Ukrainian town of Novoselytsya should seek shelter after an ammonia leak at a nearby chemical factory, an official said Monday, as intense fighting with Russian forces in the area continues.
Sumy regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said there had been an “ammonia leakage” at the Sumykhimprom facility, affecting an area within 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) of the plant, which produces fertilizers.
The extent and cause of the incident was not immediately clear, but residents were told to seek refuge in basements or on lower levels of buildings to avoid exposure.
“Ammonia is lighter than air, therefore shelters, basements and lower floors should be used for protection,” Zhyvytsky said in a Telegram message.
The RF since its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February has systematically targeted civilian homes and businesses. The Kremlin has stated it only uses its air bombs, missiles and artillery to attack military targets – a claim absolutely refuted by Ukrainian officials, independent media and now thousands of social media accounts and videos.
Sumykhimprom’s main product is fertilizers for Ukraine’s agricultural sector.
