The Kremlin has played down safety fears around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in occupied southeastern Ukraine – the biggest such facility in Europe – as Kyiv said it faced a “critical” situation after relying for a week on emergency generators.
Russian troops seized the plant shortly after launching their all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian technicians now oversee the cooling and other systems that ensure the safety of its six reactors – all of which are shut down – and of spent nuclear fuel stored at the site.
Ukraine and Russia blame each other for shelling and drone strikes in the area that have repeatedly damaged electricity lines to the plant, forcing it to rely on backup diesel generators that have now been powering the facility for more than a week.
“It is now the seventh day – something that has never happened before,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Tuesday night.
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“The situation is critical ... The generators and the plant were not designed for this, have never operated in this mode for long, and we already have information that one generator has failed. It is Russian shelling that prevents repair of the power lines to the plant and the restoration of basic safety,” he added.
“This is a threat to everyone – no terrorist in the world has ever dared to do to a nuclear plant what Russia is doing. And it is right that the world does not stay silent.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its monitors had reported that emergency generators at the plant were working and that water supply for cooling systems for the reactors and spent fuel storage sites was sufficient.
“While the plant is currently coping thanks to its emergency diesel generators – the last line of defence – and there is no immediate danger as long as they keep working, it is clearly not a sustainable situation in terms of nuclear safety. Neither side would benefit from a nuclear accident,” said IAEA director general Rafael Grossi.
“I’m in constant contact with the two sides with the aim to enable the plant’s swift reconnection to the electricity grid,” he added. “It is extremely important that off-site power is restored. I strongly encourage both sides to work with us and enable these essential repairs to take place.”
Next April will mark 40 years since the world’s worst nuclear accident, at Chernobyl in northern Ukraine, and Ukrainians are very concerned about the safety of the occupied Zaporizhzhia site and three functioning nuclear plants that remain under Kyiv’s control.
“It is foolish, to say the least, to accuse the Russian side of bombing a plant it controls ... This is a Russian facility, it is under our control and therefore the Russian side ensures security at this plant,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
“The Russian side is in constant contact with the IAEA and, in accordance with accepted norms and rules, informs the IAEA about the situation at the plant.”
It is not clear whether diesel supplies to the plant could be affected by growing fuel shortages in parts of Russia and Russian-occupied territory. Analysts say 38 per cent of Russian oil refining capacity was out of action in late September, predominantly due to long-range Ukrainian drone attacks.
As fighting and Russian air strikes continued in eastern Ukraine, at least nine people were killed in flash floods in and around the southern port of Odesa. Hundreds of people had to be rescued and thousands suffered blackouts due to torrential rain.
Mr Zelenskiy ordered a high-level review of why the downpours led to what he called “a horrific situation” in the Black Sea city.
