Ukraine’s nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power grid on Thursday through heavy Russian bombardment and forced to run generators, raising fresh fears about its safety.
The turbines have enough fuel to sustain the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, force company Energoatom said on Telegram. The ability to “keep ZNPP in mode” is a concern, Energoatom said. The countdown has begun. “
The bombing broke the lines of force connecting the factory to the Ukrainian grid, leaving the plant dependent on diesel generators. Although the plant’s six reactors are closed, the plant relies on outside electrical power to cool spent fuel, and if the fuel is not cooled, a nuclear disaster is possible.
The Russian military has occupied much of the southeastern region of Ukraine since the war began 8 months ago, but Ukrainian personnel continue to operate the plant. Missile movements are common and UN nuclear protection experts have warned of the option of a radiological emergency.
The transfer to the backup force underscores “the incredibly precarious nuclear security and defense scenario at the facility and the pressing desire to identify a coverage zone around it,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Thursday.
“A TEST FOR OUR ENDURANCE”: Can the brutal winter withstand the game for Ukraine or Russia?
Latest developments:
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert on Thursday in connection with the alleged involvement of British instructors in the Oct. 29 attack on Black Sea Fleet facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea.
Most Americans continued to help Ukraine, according to a Wall Street Journal poll, which also showed Republican opposition to helping the country is on the rise.
►Support for Ukraine in the timetable of an assembly of G7 foreign ministers in Germany on Thursday.
A wartime deal went into effect Thursday in which Russia allowed grain shipments from Ukraine to global markets, easing concerns about a possible global food crisis.
Seven ships carrying 290,000 tons of agricultural products departed from Ukrainian seaports to Asia and Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would sign the pact after saying it had obtained assurances that Ukraine would not use humanitarian corridors to attack Russian forces. Russia could simply withdraw from the deal if Kyiv breaks its word, he said.
Russia had suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, bringing up an alleged drone in its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine has denied responsibility.
Contribute: The Associated Press