There are indications that Russian troops are preparing to shut down the reactors that are still in operation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, state-owned energy supplier Energoatom announced on Friday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he would work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the dispute over the nuclear plant.
Devastating effects in southern Ukraine
A failure in the electricity supply of the massive plant – Zaporizhia is Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant – would hit southern Ukraine in particular. Faced with war and energy shortages, the country is preparing for the hardest winter since independence. “The Russian military is currently looking for suppliers of fuel for diesel generators,” said Energoatom. Diesel generators were supposed to keep the cooling systems for the highly radioactive nuclear fuels running after the nuclear reactors are shut down. The company reiterated the accusation that Russia was preparing a “large-scale provocation”. On the other hand, the government in Moscow had made exactly the same accusation against Ukraine.
Fear of Chernobyl 2.0
Internationally, special attention is paid to Zaporizhia, because a blow to the reactors could trigger a nuclear catastrophe similar to that of Chernobyl in 1986. At that time, not only was the immediate area permanently irradiated, but radioactive fallout also fell in several European countries. In early August, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned of fighting in the vicinity of the nuclear plant before “playing with fire, with possible catastrophic consequences”.
Russia sees itself as a watchdog
On Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the Russian military presence would ensure that Chernobyl would not happen again. On Thursday, Russia rejected a United Nations proposal to demilitarize Zaporizhia.
Erdogan wants to mediate
After a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, the Turkish president announced that he would discuss Zaporizhia with Putin. Zelenskyy told him that Russia had to remove all mines in the area. “We will discuss these issues with Putin and expressly ask him that Russia does what it must do as an important step towards world peace,” Erdogan said.
revenue in march
The plant was captured by Russian forces in March. It’s close to the current frontline. In the past, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of bombing the nuclear plant. Bullets hit the spot. Despite the Russian occupation, the factory is maintained by Ukrainian technicians. Only two of the six reactors are currently running at full power.