TOMSK, March 14 (RIA Novosti) – Two blasts that have occurred in the past three days at a nuclear power plant in Japan pose no threat to Russia and will not affect the development of the Russian nuclear energy sector, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
The cooling system at Japan’s Fukushima 1 NPP was knocked out by a powerful earthquake and tsunami on Friday that is believed to have left at least 10,000 people dead in north-east Japan.
Explosions rocked the first and third units of the plant, and fears of a new possible blast were raised on Monday as coolant disappeared from the second unit’s cooling system, leaving nuclear rods bare.
“Our specialists believe that a nuclear blast that could destroy the reactor itself is highly unlikely,” Putin said. “We are convinced that there is no threat to Russian territory.”