Zelensky says the world was one step away from the nuclear disaster in Zaporizhia

The Ukrainian president said that the electricity to the reactors was cut off for hours due to the Russian bombing of the region. Moscow accuses Ukrainian forces of causing the blackout. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia, by its move at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, has put Ukraine and the Europeans “one step closer to a radioactive catastrophe” when electricity is at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant. The factory was closed for hours due to Russian bombing of the area, allegations that Moscow denied.

Thursday’s Russian bombing caused a fire at a nearby coal plant, destroying the only remaining line and causing the reactor complex, the largest of its kind in Europe, to be disconnected from the power grid, Zelensky said. A Russian official blamed Ukraine.

Diesel generators ensured vital power supply to the plant’s cooling and safety systems, according to Zelensky, who praised Ukrainian technicians who run the plant under the eyes of the Russian military.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency and other international organizations must act much faster than they are doing now. Because every minute that Russian forces remain at the nuclear plant represents the risk of a global radiological catastrophe,” Zelensky said on Thursday. 08/26) in his usual nightly speech.

The Ukrainian president reported that for the first time in history “the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia stopped”, but “the emergency protection of the power units worked, after the last line of work for the return of energy from the plant to the power system.” . Ukrainian tank damaged by Russian bombing.

According to the Ukrainian government official, diesel generators were activated immediately to supply the plant with power “to maintain it after the shutdown”.

“The world must understand that if the diesel generators were not turned on, if the automation and personnel in our plant did not react after a power outage, we would have already had to overcome the consequences of the radiation accident,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian state-owned energy company Energoatom said that electricity for the needs of the special plant is currently being supplied through a power line in the electrical system in Ukraine, and that work is underway to restore network connectivity to the two reactors operating at the plant.

The Russians blame the Ukrainians for the blackout

Vladimir Rogov, the Russia-designated official in the town of Enerhodar near the factory, blamed the accident on Ukraine’s armed forces, saying it caused a fire in a forest near the factory. He said local villages had been without electricity for several hours.

“This was caused by the interruption of power lines at the Zaporyjia nuclear power plant as a result of the provocations of the Zelensky fighters,” Rogov wrote on Telegram. “The disconnection itself was caused by a fire and a short circuit in the power lines.”

Russia invaded Ukraine in February, seized the plant in March and has controlled it ever since, although Ukrainian technicians still operate it.

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of bombing the site, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.

The United Nations is seeking access to the station and has called for the area to be demilitarized. The Director-General of the Agency, Rafael Grossi, confirmed Thursday that officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency are “very, very close” to a visit to Zaporizhia.

Nuclear experts have warned that cutting off the power needed to cool the plant’s nuclear fuel assemblies could cause a catastrophic meltdown.

md/lf (EFE, Reuters)