Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russia for a new power blackout at Zaporizhzhianuclear power plant, saying the station is “one step away from a radiation catastrophe”.
His comment came after the site was disconnected from the country’s power grid on Monday – the second time this has happened in less than two weeks.
“Again – already for the second time – because of Russian provocation, the Zaporizhzhia station was placed one step away from a radiation catastrophe,” Mr Zelensky said on Monday evening.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, said the plant was disconnected from the grid in order to extinguish a fire, adding that the power line itself was not damaged.
The facility has enough electricity to operate safely and will be reconnected to the grid as soon as possible, according to the IAEA, which will publish a report on Zaporizhzhia later on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian positions in southern Ukraine have “tangibly degraded” Russian logistics, the US think tank the Institute for the Study of War has said.
