KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been off the grid for seven straight days, warning of the potential threat of a “critical” situation.
He said one of the backup diesel generators used to maintain operations had “malfunctioned” and the blackout posed “a threat to everyone.”
It is the longest outage at Zaporizhzhia since Russia invaded and seized the nuclear plant, Europe’s largest.
“It has been seven days now. There has never been anything like this before,” Zelensky said in his daily address, adding: “The situation is critical.”
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster by attacking the site and traded blame over the latest blackout.
“Due to Russian attacks, the plant has been cut off from its power supply and the electricity grid. It is being supplied with electricity from diesel generators,” Zelensky said.
Russia said last week the power plant — which it took control of in the first weeks of the war in 2022 — has been receiving backup power supply since an attack it attributed to Ukraine.
Zelensky accused Moscow of “obstructing the repair” of power lines through airstrikes, saying “this is a threat to absolutely everyone.”
The plant’s six reactors, which before the war produced around a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity, were shut down after Moscow took over.
But the plant needs power to maintain cooling and safety systems, which prevent reactors from melting — a danger that could set off a nuclear incident.
Since the start of the war, Zaporizhzhia has seen multiple safety threats, including frequent nearby shelling, repeated power cuts and staff shortages.
Located near the city of Energodar along the Dnieper river, the power plant is close to the front line.