Updated on 08/25/2022 23:51
- After an incident, Volodymyr Zelenskyj demands the evacuation of the Zaporizhia nuclear plant.
- Due to a power failure, two reactors had to be shut down in an emergency.
- The Ukrainian President warned of a “global radiation catastrophe”.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Selenskyj has increased international pressure Russia demanded in order to achieve an evacuation of the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. He referred to the emergency shutdown of two reactors on Thursday due to two power failures.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international organizations would have to act much faster than before, said Zelenskyj in his video address in Kyiv in the evening. “Every minute that the Russian military stays in the nuclear power plant means the risk of a global radiation catastrophe.”
The situation in and at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been opaque for weeks
The IAEA in Vienna, citing information from Kiev, announced that the safety system had shut down two running reactors. The nuclear power plant was further supplied via the power line of a nearby thermal power plant. It is now reconnected to the Ukrainian power grid, after it was completely taken off the Ukrainian power grid in the meantime. According to Ukrainian information, all six reactors are currently idle, it said. The Russian occupation administration, on the other hand, had announced that a reactor block had been started up again.
IAEA Director Rafael Grossi confirmed his willingness to go to Zaporizhia with experts within a few days. The situation in and at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been opaque for weeks. Russians and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear power plant. The UK Ministry of Defense released satellite photos purportedly showing Russian military trucks next to a reactor. Last week, unverified video also showed military vehicles in one of the large machine shops. (mt/dpa)
Updated on 08/25/2022 at 16:34
Six months into the Russian invasion, Kyiv is working to bring Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his military commanders to justice for the war of aggression against Ukraine.