The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which is occupied by Russian forces, has been impacted by a large-scale missile strike launched by Moscow on Friday.
Ukrainian atomic-energy operator Energoatom said that the ZNPP “is on the verge of blackout” after Russia launched what has been described by Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko as one of the largest-scale attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector in the war. Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP/Getty Images
The nuclear plant—Europe’s largest—has been under Russian control since early March 2022, just days after President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. It was one of the first sites to be seized by Russian forces.
Its six reactors are in shutdown mode, and its one remaining power line is supplying the electricity needed to prevent a reactor meltdown.
When the ZNPP was seized by Russian forces in March 2022, there was widespread concern about a potential nuclear catastrophe at the plant, which remained a target of shelling as Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed in the region. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other’s forces of attacking the plant.
Energoatom said the ZNPP was disconnected from its main offsite power line during a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine at 5:10 a.m. The International Atomic Energy Agency said a backup power line was still working, Reuters reported.
“Currently, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is connected to the Ukrainian power system only by the power transmission line Zaporizhzhia TPP-Ferrosplavna OPL-330kV,” Energoatom said. “This line was recently repaired by Ukrainian energy workers, as it had been out of service for a long time due to damage caused by another Russian shelling.
“In case of their failure, a threat of a nuclear and radiation accident will emerge,” added Energoatom.
“Such a situation is extremely dangerous and threatens to lead to an emergency,” Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on Telegram.
“If the last remaining line linking the facility to the national power grid is disconnected, (the plant) will get into another blackout, which is a serious violation of the conditions for the safe operation of the plant,” Kotin added.
“Now, the enemy is carrying out the most large-scale attack on Ukrainian energy in recent times,” said Galushchenko on Facebook, adding that the strikes had damaged “one of the power transmission lines” powering the ZNPP.
“There are power outages in some regions. Energy companies are already working to restore electricity supply. Doing our best to return the light to people as soon as possible,” Galushchenko added. “The enemy can not be intimidated or broken. We proved it last year, we will prove it now.”
Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, condemned Friday’s strikes, calling them “barbaric.”
“For the second day in a row all of Ukraine has been woken up before dawn by the threat of incoming hypersonic and cruise missiles,” Brink wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Russia’s barbaric attacks on an entire people continue to threaten civilians and break international law. Ukraine needs our help now.”
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via [email protected].
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.