Russia took control of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear plants, both in Ukraine, to “avoid nuclear provocations by Kiev”, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
“During the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces (term used by Russia to define the invasion of Ukraine), control of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear plants and adjacent territories was established,” the spokeswoman added, according to the agency. news “Sputnik”. “This step was taken solely to prevent Ukrainian nationalist groups and other terrorist organizations, as well as foreign mercenaries, from taking advantage of the situation to carry out nuclear provocations,” Zakharova said.
The spokeswoman also said that the situation at the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear plants is being jointly monitored by Ukrainian and Russian military experts. “Radioactive activity at both stations is within normal limits,” said Zakharova, who insisted that “Russia is doing everything possible to ensure adequate security” of these facilities.
Hours before these statements, the National Energy Company of Ukraine, which manages Chernobyl, said the plant had lost power due to attacks by Russian troops. “As a result of hostile actions by the Russian occupiers, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was completely without electricity,” the Ukrainian operator said in a Telegram message.
“Fighting continues, so it is currently impossible to carry out repair work and restore power supply,” the state-owned company added.
Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in a radioactive exclusion zone due to the serious accident of 1986, includes decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities.
power plants without electricity
The electricity generators that supply the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have a reserve capacity of about 48 hours, after which their cooling systems will be switched off, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymitro Kuleba warned on Wednesday.
He warned of the dangerous situation of the former power plant, which, according to the electricity operator who supplies it, was “completely without electricity” due to the Russian occupation, which could lead to radioactive leaks.
“The standby diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. After that, the spent nuclear fuel storage facility’s cooling systems will stop, making radiation leaks imminent,” Kuleba wrote in the report. Twitter. “Putin’s barbaric war endangers the whole of Europe – it must be stopped immediately!” he added.
Kuleba said the only electrical power grid that supplied the nuclear plant and all of its nuclear facilities occupied by the Russian army had been damaged. The plant “has lost all power supply. I urge the international community to urgently demand that Russia cease the fire and allow repair units to restore power supply,” he reiterated.
Prior to these statements, the National Energy Company Ukrenergo, which manages Chernobyl, claimed that the power plant had been cut off due to attacks by Russian troops. “As a result of hostile actions by the Russian occupiers, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was completely without electricity,” the Ukrainian operator said in a Telegram message.
Yesterday, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, expressed concern about the stress and fatigue of employees at the former facilities, who have been working non-stop since February 24, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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