Zelensky blamed Thursday’s shelling by the Russian military for fires in the ashes of a nearby coal-fired power plant that disconnected the reactor complex, Europe’s largest such facility, from the power grid. He said backup diesel generators ensured power supply and kept the plant safe. “If our station staff had not reacted after the blackout, then we would have already had to overcome the consequences of a radioactive accident,” he said in an afternoon speech. “Russia has brought Ukraine and all Europeans to a situation one step away from a nuclear disaster.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials should have access to the site within days, he said, “before the occupiers bring the situation to an impasse.” Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom said it was the first complete shutdown in the plant’s history. Electricity is used for cooling and security systems. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, seized the plant in March and has controlled it since, although Ukrainian technicians still operate it. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of bombing the site, fueling fears of a nuclear holocaust. Writing on Telegram, Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in the occupied city of Enerhodar near the plant, said satellite images showed the local forest on fire. He said towns in the region lost power for several hours Thursday. “This was caused by the disconnection of power lines from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as a result of the provocations of Zelenskiy’s militants,” Rogov wrote. “The disconnection itself was caused by a fire and a short circuit in the power lines.” Nuclear experts have warned of the risk of damage to the plant’s spent nuclear fuel tanks or reactors. Power cuts needed to cool the pools could cause a catastrophic collapse. The United Nations is seeking access to the plant and has called for the area to be demilitarized. IAEA officials are “very, very close” to being able to visit Zaporizhia, the agency’s director general Rafael Grossi said Thursday. Ukraine’s energy minister said agency officials could travel to the plant in the coming days. “Certainly not later than the beginning of September,” Germany’s Galushchenko told Reuters in Kyiv. As the war entered its seventh month, Russia said its forces hit a train station in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, confirming an attack that Kyiv said killed 25 civilians as the nation celebrated its Independence Day. The Russian Defense Ministry said an Iskander missile hit a military train at Chaplyne station that was to deliver weapons to Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian officials said 21 people were killed when the station was hit and five train cars were engulfed in flames, and that a boy died when a rocket hit his house nearby. The death toll rose to 25 on Thursday after three more bodies were pulled from the rubble, officials said. The Russian Defense Ministry said 200 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the attack. Moscow denies targeting civilians and has said the rail infrastructure is a legitimate target as it serves to supply Ukraine with Western weapons. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
NUCLEAR FACILITIES HAZARD
Fighting in the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been causing concern for weeks. The complex supplied more than 20% of Ukraine’s electricity needs and its loss would put new pressure on the government. Russia’s ground campaign has stalled in recent months after its troops were pushed out of the capital Kyiv in the first weeks of the invasion. Russian forces control a swath of land in the south along Ukraine’s Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts, while the conflict has turned into a war of attrition in the Donbass. In its daily briefing, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had destroyed eight Ukrainian warplanes in raids on air bases in Ukraine’s Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions. This would be one of the heaviest losses for Ukraine’s air force in recent weeks. Kyiv has repeatedly asked for more, high-quality Western military equipment it says it needs to repel Russian attacks. Zelensky spoke on Thursday by phone with US President Joe Biden, who reiterated US support for Ukraine against Russia, the White House said. In a move that could bolster Western estimates of heavy Russian casualties during the war, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to increase the size of Russia’s armed forces to 2.04 million from 1.9 million. read more The Kremlin says its goal is to “de-Nazify” and demilitarize Ukraine and remove perceived security threats to Russia. This is dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a flimsy pretext for a war of conquest that has killed thousands of civilians, displaced millions and left cities in ruins. It has also rocked the global economy, creating shortages of staple foods and sending energy prices skyrocketing. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from Reuters offices. Written by Daniel Wallis. Edited by Cynthia Osterman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
