Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear station in Europe, since March 2022, and have been using the site in ways that increase the risk of a nuclear disaster.
On Dec. 10, a Russian drone struck and severely damaged an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) service vehicle on its way to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), President Volodymyr Zelensky reported.
Key developments on Nov. 21: * Russia used new 'Oreshnik' intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine, Putin says * Ukrainian UAVs reportedly strike Russian border regions, industrial facility hit * Hungary deploys air defenses near Ukraine, cites war escalation after US allows strikes in Russia * Russian troops suspected of executing Ukrainian POWs in Kursk
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on the verge of a blackout after Russian shelling of power lines left the plant connected to only one line, the Energy Ministry reported on Nov 21.
IAEA experts may only remain at the occupied nuclear facility "as long as our country considers their stay there to be justified," Russia's Foreign Ministry warned.
The National Police confirmed that Russian forces carried out three air strikes on Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine using unguided high-explosive bombs.
Andrii Korotkyi was a collaborator involved in the organization and execution of war crimes and repression of Ukrainians under Russian occupation, the agency said.
Ukraine is in talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to place foreign observers near its nuclear power plants amid reports Russia is planning to attack the infrastructure connecting the plants to the country's energy grid, an Energy Ministry official said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told the U.N. Security Council on Sept. 24 that Russia was preparing to target three Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
The possible targets include open distribution devices at nuclear power plants and transmission substations, "which are essential for the safe functioning of the nuclear energy system," according to Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The facility is housing Russia's National Guard units totaling up to 1,300 people, the center said, citing data from Ukrainian citizens on the ground.
A cooling tower at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) will require demolition after a fire on Aug. 12 rendered the structure unusable, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said during a visit to the plant.
Key developments on Sept. 3: * Russia strikes Poltava with ballistic missiles, killing at least 51, injuring 271 * Ukraine plans to 'indefinitely' hold Kursk Oblast's seized territories, Zelensky says * Russian strikes damage overhead power line at occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Energoatom says * Norway pledges $53 million for drones, air defense
Damage to another overhead power line will lead to an emergency at the plant, according to the state nuclear energy company.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Throughout its occupation, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
"Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack."
"We officially refute these false reports. Ukraine has neither the intention nor the ability to carry out any such actions. Russia must stop spreading dangerous lies," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Aug. 12 that it had been unable to determine the cause of the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) that was started a day earlier.
In a Telegram message at 7:30 a.m. local time, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak said the fire at the plant had been put out and that radiation levels in the area were normal.
Russian forces set fire to "a large number of automobile tires in cooling towers," Yevhen Yevtushenko, the head of the military administration in Nikopol, said on Aug. 11, citing sources across the river in occupied Enerhodar.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has raised concerns that intense fires near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which is under Russian occupation, pose a threat to its external power supply.
Around 5,000 workers were rescued from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on July 19 during a press conference.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on July 11 demanding that Russia withdraw from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and restore full control of the facility to Ukraine.
IAEA experts stationed at the plant said that they saw thick smoke rising above the facility and heard explosions after they were told by the representatives of the Russian-occupied plant that drones allegedly hit it.
The loss of the station further limits the Russian-occupied nuclear plant's external capacity to detect radiation release in an emergency.
Ukraine's nuclear energy agency Energoatom has lost over Hr 210 billion ($5.2 billion) due to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Energoatom's acting head Petro Kotin said on June 18.
The man was found guilty of collaborating with Russian authorities while holding a senior position at the occupied plant.
Key updates on June 3: * US Vice President Kamala Harris will attend global peace summit * Russian strike in Donetsk Oblast kills 2, including 12-year-old boy * UK military chief confident Ukraine will win the war, but allies must 'maintain support' * Restarting Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant 'difficult to envisage' during war, says IAEA
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.
"Russian (forces) continue to create an extremely dangerous situation" at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, said Energoatom President Petro Kotin.
Fifty-four delegations supported Ukraine's statement that Russia is jeopardizing global nuclear and radiation security at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conference on Nuclear Security in Vienna on May 22, the Energy Ministry reported.
As evidence, the agency published intercepted camera footage of a Russian drone over the plant.
(Updated: )
