The radioactive fallout from an attack on the Zapoizhzhia nuclear power plant could almost reach Germany within the space of just three days, according to a simulation of the blast.
A graphic of the disaster's hypothetical range shows just how deadly an explosion could be as a cloud of nuclear matter is seen swirling through Europe in a video compiled by Ukraine's Hydrometeorolofical Institute.
It comes after Ukrainian workers draped in hazmat suits carried out emergency first aid drills and hosed each other down in a nearby car park after the Kremlin warned of a "minor accident" at Europe's largest nuclear complex.
The Zapoizhzhia plant is currently under Russian control, but the Kremlin claims it was Ukraine who triggered the accident so they could blame it on the tyrant Vladimir Putin.
In the video, a radioactive cloud spreads across 13 countries - from Russia in the east to Poland in the west - over a 72-hour period.
Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Russia would all be affected by the Chernobyl-style blast.
Kremlin man Nikolai Patrushev, known as an avid supporter of the invasion of Ukraine, said: "If a man-made disaster occurs, its consequences will be felt in all corners of the world."
News agency Tass reported him as accusing the US and UK of being responsible if such an eventuality did happen, sparking fears of retaliation and a false flag operation to justify it.
Patrushev told a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tashkent: "With American encouragement, the Ukrainians, without stopping, are striking critical infrastructure facilities of the Zaporizhzhia NPP."
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, said: "There is an order for the majority of the [power plant’s] staff not to go to work.
"This is what the Russians told their people, primarily the employees of [Russian nuclear agency] Rosatom."
Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the plant currently used as a military base by Russia.
Russia says there were 12 attacks resulting in more than 50 explosions of artillery shells and five kamikaze drones by the Ukrainians. This is denied by Ukraine.
The Russian embassy in the US said: "The purpose is to create an exclusion zone of up to 30km and accuse Russia of nuclear terrorism."
One of Putin's favourite propagandists raved on TV: "Our military has just shown [that] you are shelling a nuclear power plant [Zaporizhzhia] with 155mm artillery and other NATO thingies.
"And, like fools, you scream that Russians are shelling themselves with NATO weapons. Are you idiots? If it blows up, we have protective suits and we won’t stop our military actions."
