Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – Ukraine’s Russian occupation Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station On Saturday, the fifth day was running on an emergency generator, prompting people to raise safety concerns.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a $90 billion weapons deal with the United States and criticised Hungary for conducting a “dangerous” intelligence reporting drone campaign over Ukraine.
External power Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest has been cut more than four days in a record-breaking shutdown at the six-reactor facility at the frontline of the war, Greenpeace Ukraine warned on Saturday.
Emergency diesel generators are being used for power cooling and safety systems after the final power line was cut Tuesday, according to the United Nations Nuclear Watch Agency. Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Bureau, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, but external power sources were not restored.
The reactor core and spent nuclear fuel need to be cooled to prevent overheating and causing dangerous meltdowns like the 2011 earthquake and tsunami collided with Japan’s Fukushima plant. It is owned by the United Nations atom watcher I repeatedly warned A potential radiation catastrophe like Chernobyl, up to about 480 kilometers (300 miles) to the northwest, when the reactor exploded in 1986.
Ukrainian officials confirmed the seriousness of the situation. Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk told The Associated Press that “the plant is a serious violation of the conditions of normal operation.” It marked the 10th incident in February 2022 since the full-scale Russian invasion.
The plant’s Russia-controlled telegram channel said on Saturday that “sufficient diesel fuel reserves are available on-site to ensure long-term autonomous operation of the generator.”
“An emergency diesel generator is considered the last line of defense that will only be used in extreme situations,” said Jan Vande Putte, radiation and nuclear expert at Greenpeace Ukraine.
“These are undoubtedly the most serious and important events since the start of Russia’s occupation of the ZNPP in March 2022,” he said.
Images suggest that Russia may be trying to restart one reactor
Patte said it was Russia’s “intentional action” that led to the cutting of the factory from Ukraine’s external power grid. He warned that the development proceeded to “connect the “long-running goals” of Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom to “connect illegally occupied power grids in the Zaporidia and Donetsk regions and restart the reactors.”
New satellite analysis by Greenpeace Ukraine suggests that Russia may be located to restart at least one nuclear reactor despite high-risk wartime conditions. Environmental groups have built a 125-mile (201-kilometer) power line connecting substations in the occupied city of Meritpol and Maripol, with construction beginning in December 2024.
According to Greenpeace’s analysis, Russia also completed the construction of a new water supply system for the factory’s cooling pond, and intentionally damaged the 750 kilovolt power line that connected the facility to an electric grid in Ukraine.
The Associated Press was unable to independently examine the Greenpeace Ukraine analysis.
Since then, the factory has been held by Russia Moscow invasion 2022. Those six reactors are in what is called cold shutdown, but remain fueled with uranium. In other words, the nuclear reaction has stopped. However, the plant relies on external power to keep the reactor cool and power other safety systems. Its external forces have been reduced multiple times in the war, forcing plants to rely on diesel generators on-site.
Zaporidia, approximately 440 km (275 miles) southeast of Kiev, is held by Ukraine. An attack occurred around the plant Because the front line is close. The IAEA rotates staff through the facility to verify the safety of the factory and provide its expertise.
Zelenskyy tackles arms trade and regional tensions
Zelenskyy began the technical meeting in late September on Saturday, detailing what he called “Mega Deal” for the purchase of arms from the US at a press conference on Kyiv. The $90 billion package includes both a major weapons contract for Ukrainian-made drones purchased directly by the US and another “drone deal.”
“We discussed and agreed to the main points with the President (Trump). Now we are moving on to actual implementation,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine has provided the US with detailed specifications of military needs, including the demands of long-range weapons systems.
Zelenskyy also criticized Hungarian drone activities against Ukraine, saying that Ukrainian intelligence has tracked at least one drone. “I believe they are doing something very dangerous. It’s very dangerous, first and foremost on their own,” Zelensky said.
He said Intelligence Services documented the drone’s movements through photographs and electronic tracking, but did not elaborate on “Hungarian intelligence agency is researching its territory in Ukraine.”
In a Facebook post on Friday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Syjart said the Ukrainian president has “lost his heart” and “seeing things.”
Hungary, led by Prime Minister Victor Orban, has maintained close ties with Russia and has been critical of military aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also revealed that Israel’s Patriot Air Defence System has been operating in Ukraine for the past month, with two additional Patriot systems expected to arrive in the fall.
“The Israeli (Patriot) system is operating in Ukraine. It has already been working for a month,” he said, denying to provide further details about the air defense deployment. Israel’s Ministry of Defense declined to comment.
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Associated Press Writer Ellis Morton from London contributed to this report.
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