Alexey Likhachev, who heads Russia’s state nuclear energy company, said Ukrainian forces targeted trucks carrying diesel fuel to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Friday. Likhachev said the attacks were carried out in a coordinated manner and struck areas very close to the perimeter of the plant.
According to Likhachev, two Russian soldiers were killed in the incident. Likhachev said many soldiers were wounded and that some of the injured were in serious condition.
Energy security at the plant
Diesel generators provide the energy needed to cool nuclear fuel if the plant’s external power connections are cut. Fuel deliveries are therefore important for the plant’s safe operation.
The plant’s two external power connections were out of service for about three weeks in August and September. Diesel fuel is not currently being used to generate electricity.
Mutual accusations between Russia and Ukraine
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has six reactors, is known as Europe’s largest nuclear facility. Russian forces took control of the plant in the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of actions that threaten the plant’s safety and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. Kyiv is calling for Russia to withdraw from the plant and hand its operation over to Ukraine. Moscow rejects this demand.
United Nations monitoring mission
The United Nations’ nuclear oversight body has a team of observers permanently stationed at the plant. The organization acts as a mediator in disputes around the facility and helped arrange a local ceasefire last month to enable repairs to the external power connections.