According to the operating company, one of the six reactors of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is back on the Ukrainian grid. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine and large parts of Europe have narrowly escaped nuclear disaster. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhya in southeastern Ukraine was disconnected from the grid for several hours, which could have led to a supermeltdown, Zelensky said.
Zelenskyy blamed the Russian shelling. The situation seemed to calm down on Friday. According to the Ukrainian state-owned company Energoatom, one of the reactors went back to the Ukrainian grid and built up capacity.
According to Energoatom, all six reactors of the power plant were initially cut off from the Ukrainian electricity grid on Friday morning. Zelenskyj cited fires near the power plant as the reason for this after a Russian shell fire.
Russia blames Ukraine
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in the occupied city of Enerhodar near the power plant, blamed Ukrainian forces for the latest incident. They started a fire in a forest near the power plant. Towns in the area were without power for several hours, Rogov wrote on Telegram.
Praise for Ukrainian technicians
Zelenskyy praised the Ukrainian engineers who used diesel generators to power the reactors and ensure that the refrigeration and other safety systems remained operational. “If our people had not reacted to the blackout in this way, we would have had to bear the consequences of a radioactive accident,” he said Thursday evening.
Nuclear power plant occupied by Russians since March
The nuclear power plant has been occupied by Russian troops since March but is still operated by Ukrainian engineers. “Russia has put Ukraine and all Europeans in a situation that is one step away from a nuclear disaster,” Zelenskyy said. “Every minute Russian troops stay in the nuclear power plant is a risk of global nuclear catastrophe.”
The building has come under fire several times in recent weeks. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for this. Reuters cannot independently verify the information.
Like Zelenskyy, Western states are also demanding that Russia return control of the nuclear power plant to Ukraine, which the government in Moscow rejects. In addition, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will inspect the reactors, which Russia has promised.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
