Ukraine has threatened to cut power lines if the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) is connected to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. “I think our armed forces will be ready for this if necessary,” Petro Kotin, head of state-owned Enerhoatom nuclear power plant operator, told RBK-Ukrayina agency on Wednesday. This could happen before the power plant is disconnected from the Ukrainian grid.
According to Kotin, Russia has long wanted to connect the nuclear power plant to Crimea. “To do this, the power plant must be completely disconnected from the Ukrainian energy system and connected to the line that connects Crimea to the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant,” explained the 61-year-old. Kotin also said that Ukrainian troops would shell power lines if Russia connected the nuclear power plant to its grid.
If the power plant failed, the power supply for the entire Russian-occupied south would be at risk. Russia attacked Ukraine in late February and then occupied Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhia, in early March.
The Green members of the Bundestag, Jürgen Trittin and Robin Wagener, demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from the nuclear power plant and unrestricted access for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Russia is breaking all international requirements for the safe operation of nuclear power plants and is deliberately using the risk of a nuclear meltdown as a means of pressure,” they said. This shows: “Nuclear power plants do not offer any security in the event of war, but rather multiply the risks for the population.”
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