Russia ramps up provocations at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: Blackouts and generator shutdowns possible
Photo: Russia is preparing provocations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Getty Images)
Russia has moved to the second phase of its plan regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, carrying out provocations and shelling near the facility, said Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Occupation Study Center.
On the 15th day of generator power, the official spokeswoman, the Russian communications director at Zaporizhzhia NPP, Yashina, claimed that Ukraine was consistently striking fuel tanks for backup generators.
However, no such attacks have been confirmed, even by the IAEA monitoring mission. Instead, Russian forces carried out artillery shelling last night right near the Zaporizhzhia plant.
According to Andriushchenko, this indicates a move toward the final stage of reintegrating the plant. It is expected that Russia will stage another provocation involving a nuclear threat and use it to switch the station to the Russian power grid.
Meanwhile, during the blackout at the plant, widespread power outages continue across the occupied Zaporizhzhia region due to technical work at substations in Melitopol. This also confirms an active phase of technical reconnection of the nuclear plant.
Blackout at Zaporizhzhia NPP
Yesterday, RBC-Ukraine reported that Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the Ukrainian energy system for two weeks.
During this time, the plant has been running on diesel generators, which is an emergency operating mode. Details on what the IAEA has been monitoring and the potential for a nuclear disaster can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
Additionally, on Monday, October 6, IAEA staff recorded a series of shots near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, at a distance of 1.25 km from the plant's perimeter.
