Zelenskyy: Due to Russian strike, blackout at ChNPP lasted more than three hours
As a result of a Russian strike on one of the power substations in Slavutych, a blackout at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant lasted for more than three hours.
This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Censor.NET reports.
"Due to today's Russian strike on one of our power substations in Slavutych, a blackout at the facilities of the former Chornobyl nuclear power plant lasted for more than three hours. This includes a new shelter that protects the environment from the remnants of the plant's fourth unit after the 1986 explosion and radioactive debris and dust. It is also a spent fuel storage facility, which stores 80% of all spent fuel accumulated during the plant's operation. These are spent fuel assemblies with a total weight of more than 3,250 tonnes," the head of state said.
Zelenskyy noted that the Russians could not but know that the attack on the facilities in Slavutych would have such consequences for Chornobyl.
"It was a targeted strike in which they used more than 20 drones - according to preliminary estimates, Russian-Iranian 'Shaheds'. Some of these drones were shot down, but the strike was organised by a wave of drones to complicate the defence of the facility," the president said.
Situation at ZNPP
The Head of State also noted that the blackout at Zaporizhzhia NPP has been going on for eight days now, which began due to Russian shelling in the area of the plant.
"And the Russians are doing absolutely nothing to remedy the situation and enable Ukrainian specialists to restore external power supply to ZNPP, which should function continuously under normal conditions. Russia is deliberately creating a threat of radiation incidents, taking advantage, unfortunately, of the weak position of the IAEA and Director Rafael Grossi, as well as the dispersion of global attention," Zelenskyy said.
The need to put pressure on Russia
The President said that in order to remedy the situation, weak and half-hearted solutions would not work.
"Every day of Russia's prolongation of the war, Russia's refusal to fully and reliably cease fire, constant Russian strikes on all our energy facilities, including those on which the safety of nuclear power plants and other nuclear infrastructure depends, is a global threat. There are six nuclear power plants in Ukraine, including ChNPP and ZNPP, and each of them can be a target for Russian drones and missiles," he said.
Zelenskyy stressed that it is important that the countries of Europe, the United States, the "Group of Seven" and the "Group of Twenty" really act for peace and security to the fullest extent possible.
"We need a strong response and appropriate pressure on Russia to protect lives," he added.
As a reminder, on 1 October, the Russians attacked Slavutych and damaged a power plant. As a result, part of Chernihiv and neighbouring communities lost power.
A blackout occurred at the Chernobyl NPP due to the Russian shelling of the power facility in the city of Slavutych on 1 October.
