Ukraine has lodged a formal protest with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding reports that Russia is constructing power lines to connect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) to the Russian electricity grid, a Ukrainian official announced on Wednesday.
Yuriy Vitrenko, Ukraine’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform that Kyiv views any attempt by Russia to integrate the occupied ZNPP into its grid as a blatant violation of international law and a direct infringement upon Ukrainian sovereignty.
The protest follows a report in The New York Times, citing a new analysis by Greenpeace, which revealed that Russia has been building over 50 miles (80 kilometers) of power lines between the occupied Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Berdyansk, potentially to facilitate the connection of the ZNPP to the Russian grid.
Ukrainian officials have consistently warned that any attempts to restart the ZNPP under Russian control could lead to a catastrophic nuclear accident. They argue that Russian personnel lack the necessary expertise to operate the plant’s significantly upgraded equipment, are not adequately trained to handle its complex systems, and are largely unaware of the plant’s current condition.
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Furthermore, Ukrainian officials have emphasized the critical danger posed by the lack of sufficient water to cool the reactors following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023, which resulted in widespread flooding and further destabilized the region.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has stated that the issue of restarting the ZNPP will be a key topic of discussion during his upcoming meetings in Ukraine and potentially in Russia in the coming days. The IAEA has repeatedly called for the establishment of a safety and security zone around the plant to prevent any potential nuclear incident.