Russia and Ukraine have reached a temporary, strictly limited ceasefire to prevent a potential nuclear disaster at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, after fighting damaged the last backup power line necessary for the safe operation of the facility.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement yesterday (Friday) on a localized ceasefire to carry out repairs on the last remaining backup power line supplying electricity to the nuclear plant.
Work on the power line, which was damaged and shut down as a result of military activity on January 2, is expected to begin “in the coming days,” according to a statement from the UN nuclear watchdog.
- “This temporary ceasefire, the fourth we have negotiated, demonstrates the irreplaceable role we continue to play,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency reported that its on-site team heard “a large number of explosions, including some in the immediate vicinity of the site.”
- “The team reported multiple air-raid alerts each day over the past week and was informed that a military flying object was spotted about 10 kilometers from the site,” the statement added.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe and has been under Russian control since March 2022. Located on the Dnipro River, all six reactors have been shut down since the occupation began.
Although the reactors are offline, the facility still requires electricity to maintain cooling and safety systems.
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of endangering the plant through attacks, raising the risk of a nuclear disaster.
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Source:Blic, Foto: Sergei Itlinsky EPA