Ukraine again insists on a Russian “dangerous provocation” at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed this Tuesday that Russian forces are preparing to “Serious provocation” at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Hours after the Ukrainian Armed Forces denounced allegations that explosives had been placed in facilities to simulate a bombing.
Zelensky conveyed his suspicions to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in a telephone conversation in which he mentioned that Kyiv was working for him “Keep the situation under maximum control.”In cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Russian forces have controlled the Zaporizhia plant, which is considered the largest in Europe, since March 2022.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine warned on Telegram to prepare “in the near future” for Russian “provocation” in the vicinity of the factoryWhen he indicated his skepticism about claims that “foreign objects resembling explosive devices” were placed on the surface of some reactors, to simulate the execution of a detonation.
However, similar accusations were made from the Russian side, by a senior Rosenergoatom official, Renate Karca, who hinted at the possibility On Thursday, a Ukrainian attack on the factory with high-precision weapons and drones. He claimed, in a television interview compiled by Interfax, that “protective measures are being taken”, in which he did not provide details in this regard.
Zelensky also spoke with Macron about “the situation in Russia and on the battlefield,” the Ukrainian president explained on Twitter. We share our expectations for NATO summit in Vilnius We talked about future security guarantees for Ukraine.
No electricity for a few hours
The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, located in southern Ukraine and considered the largest in Europe, was left for a few hours Without the main line that connects you to the electrical grid, This forced it to rely on a support road that was reconnected just three days ago, after four months of interruption due to attacks in the area.
Ukraine’s Energoatom reported that the plant lost its main high-voltage line, of 750 kV, at 1:21 pm (local time) on Tuesday, forcing facilities to rely on it. Support network of 330 kV. If it is completely disconnected – something that has already happened seven times since the beginning of the Russian invasion – the plant has independent generators as the last guarantor of security.
The manager appointed by Russia after the takeover of the station, Yuri Chernyshuk, explained in a statement that the main line had restored supplies at 2:00 p.m. “The factory is running as usual.”According to a statement compiled by the TASS news agency. Moscow blamed the Ukrainian authorities for this cut, without going into further details.
This was stressed by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi This time the factory avoided being completely without external suppliesBut he warned that the new cut “shows the precarious security situation”. The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about a possible incident and called for the establishment of a security zone.
