Ukraine Reinstates Electricity to Chornobyl After Russian Strikes
In a statement, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry confirmed that all plant facilities, including the New Safe Confinement and spent nuclear fuel storage, are now receiving power from the national grid and “are operating under normal conditions.”
“Radiation levels at the industrial site and within the Exclusion Zone do not exceed established control limits. The plant has sufficient fuel reserves and fully operational backup power sources in case of renewed attacks,” the statement said.
The ministry emphasized that there is currently no direct threat to either the population or the environment. Energy specialists and plant personnel continue to monitor the site under enhanced safety protocols.
The statement condemned the attacks as “absolutely unacceptable,” accusing Russia of violating “all fundamental principles of nuclear and radiation safety” and of endangering “not only the safety of Ukraine but that of the entire European continent.”
It added that Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi agreed on the need for an extraordinary session of the IAEA Board of Governors to evaluate the repercussions of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system.
Earlier on Tuesday, the IAEA posted on X, citing Grossi, that the Chornobyl plant had lost all off-site power following "widespread military activity this morning." The statement also noted that Grossi said power lines to other Ukrainian nuclear plants were affected, and that the IAEA is "actively following developments in order to assess impact on nuclear safety."
Ukrainian authorities reported Russian airstrikes across several regions, including the capital Kyiv and its surrounding areas, amid a state of emergency in the country’s energy sector declared last week.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it carried out "massive" overnight strikes on "Ukrainian military industrial enterprises, energy and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, ammunition depots, and long-range drone production facilities."
Located near the now-abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Kyiv region, the Chornobyl plant was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. A 1986 explosion at the fourth reactor released radioactive material over the surrounding territory, leading the Soviet Union to establish a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) exclusion zone.
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