Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Power Loss Raises Safety Concerns

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest and under Russian control since early 2022, has been without offsite power for several days—reported variously as more than three days up to six days (about 120 hours)—forcing reliance on emergency diesel generators. The outage, the tenth blackout since the 2022 invasion, has prompted warnings from IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Ukrainian regulators that loss of external power beyond the post‑Fukushima 72‑hour stress‑test threshold creates major nuclear and radiation safety risks. Kyiv and Moscow trade blame for damage to power lines, while Ukraine accuses Russia of pursuing integration of the plant into its grid and of potentially attempting to restart reactors, actions Kyiv calls forcible and dangerous. Operators are running emergency generators, but experts including Greenpeace and Ukraine’s Energoatom warn these backups are intended only for short‑term use and that generator failure could jeopardize safety systems. Ukraine’s foreign minister has urged temporary IAEA stewardship, and Grossi says the agency is working with both Ukrainian and Russian officials to facilitate power restoration as international actors press for urgent repairs to avert a possible catastrophe.