Russian missile attacks: Operator: Zaporizhia nuclear power plant disconnected from the power grid

As a result of a large-scale Russian missile attack, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been cut off from the regular power supply, according to the Ukrainian operator.

The plant in the southern city of Enerhodar, which is occupied by Russian troops, is currently being supplied with emergency diesel generators, Enerhoatom said on Telegram. The fuel is enough for ten days. It is the sixth time since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression more than a year ago that the nuclear power plant has had to go into emergency operation, it said.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko spoke on Facebook of a “barbaric, massive attack” by the Russians. In addition to Zaporizhia, other parts of the country have also been hit with rockets since the early hours of the morning, including the capital Kiev. The Odessa and Kharkiv regions also reported attacks on power plants and subsequent power outages.

A spokesman for the Russian nuclear power plant operator Rosenergoatom confirmed the disconnection from the regular power grid to the Interfax agency. At the same time, he accused the Ukrainian side of cutting off supplies for no apparent reason.

IAEA boss urges hurry due to emergency operation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is alarmed because of the renewed failure of the regular power supply in the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia. This is the sixth time that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has had to switch to emergency supply from diesel generators because of the war, said IAEA boss Rafael Grossi before the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. “We roll the dice every time. And if we keep doing it, then one day our luck will run out,” Grossi warned. It must not go on like this. It is high time to set up a security zone around the power plant. He will continue his efforts in this regard, Grossi said. Nuclear power plants depend on a reliable power supply for safe operation.

In a joint statement, numerous states of the IAEA Board of Governors called on Russia to leave the nuclear power plant. “The risks at the power plant remain dangerously high as long as Russian military personnel and Rosatom personnel are there,” says the statement, which was made under the leadership of Canada and also supported by Germany.

Rocket hit in residential area: several dead in Lviv

Several people were killed in the west of the country in the latest wave of Russian attacks. In the Lviv region in the town of Zolochiv, a rocket fell in a residential area, whereupon a fire broke out, Governor Maksym Kozytskiy said on Telegram. At least five people were killed – three men and two women, he added.

In the capital Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke of several injuries. In addition, around 40 percent of Kievans are currently without heating as a result of the attacks, he wrote on Telegram. In an interview with the “Bild” newspaper, Klitschko also said that Kiev had been attacked with both combat drones and various types of rockets. He explicitly praised German military aid: “Thanks to the German Iris-T missile defense system, all but one of the attacks in Kiev were repelled, which damaged critical infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Kiev’s military chief Serhiy Popko announced that the Russians had also used the “Kinzhal” hypersonic missile in the attacks.

Selenskyj speaks of a “difficult night”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the massive Russian rocket attack on his country and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. “It was a difficult night,” Zelenskyj wrote on his Telegram channel. According to him, Russia fired a total of 81 missiles. There have been impacts and “unfortunately also injured and dead” nationwide.

The Russians have returned to “their pathetic tactics,” Zelenskyy continued: “The occupiers can only terrorize the civilian population. That’s all they’re capable of.” But that won’t help them win the war, said the 45-year-old.