MADRID, 3 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ukrainian nuclear company Energoatom has denounced this Thursday that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, under the control of Russian forces since the end of February in the framework of the invasion of the country, has suffered a blackout due to a power cut after a artillery attack by Russian troops.
“The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is completely without power due to an artillery attack by racists,” Energoatom said in a message on its Telegram account. Thus, he has detailed that the attack was carried out on Wednesday and has pointed out that it would have caused damage to two high-voltage lines, which caused the entry into activity of 20 generators.
For this reason, the company has highlighted that “the needs of the plant’s energy supply scheme have been optimized, with nine operating generators”, while two reactors have been cooled. “The operations of the generators in a total blackout situation will be active for 15 days. The countdown has begun,” he added.
Energoatom has further explained that “due to the occupation of the plant and the interference in its work by representatives (of the Russian company) Rosatom, the possibilities for the Ukrainian authorities to maintain security at the Zaporizhia NPP are limited. significantly.”
“We again call on the international community to urgently take measures for the demilitarization, as soon as possible, of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the withdrawal of all Russian personnel from the territory of the station and the city of Energodar and the return of the plant. to total control of Ukraine, in the name of the security of the whole world,” he concluded.
For his part, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, assured this Thursday that Russian troops have prevented “a terrorist attack” on the facilities, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. “We have received information from our special services about the dismantling of a terrorist act against the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” he revealed.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of attacking targets at the nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since Feb. 28, as part of the military offensive triggered Feb. 14 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has defended that it should operate the power plant, especially after the region is annexed along with those of Jershon, Donetsk and Lugansk.
