“Leak” of ammonia in a chemical plant in Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities on Monday urged residents of the northern city of Novoselytsya to take refuge after an ammonia “leak” at a nearby chemical plant, while fighting against Russian troops continues in the area.

At around 07H45 GMT, Ukrainian emergency services said on Twitter that the accident, caused by a bombing, was “over”.

Earlier, the governor of the Sumy region, Dmytro Jyvytsky, reported an “ammonia leak” at the Sumykhimprom plant, which affected an area of 2.5 kilometers around the fertilizer factory.

Authorities asked residents to take refuge in basements or low buildings to avoid exposure.

“Ammonia is lighter than air, so shelters, basements and low floors should be used as protection,” Jyvytsky wrote in a message on Telegram.

He also explained that the rescue teams were on the scene and that the nearby town of Sumy, with some 250,000 inhabitants before the war, was not under immediate threat due to the direction of the wind.

Russian army spokesman Igor Konashenkov declared on Monday that it was a “provocation” by Kiev to accuse Moscow of “using chemical weapons” and claimed that the factory had been mined by “Ukrainian nationalists”.

The Sumykhimprom plant produces various types of chemical fertilizers, according to the company's website.

The city of Sumy, 350 kilometres east of the capital, Kiev, has been the scene of intense fighting since the Russian invasion began on February 24.

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