Ukrainian company says it still controls key nuclear plants, but Russians close in

Ukraine still controls two key nuclear power plants in the south of the country, including Zaporizhia, Europe’s largest, but Russian forces are closing in, the acting head of Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom said.

Petro Kotin described it as “nuclear terrorism” the seizure by Russia last week of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Kiev asked the UN atomic watchdog (IAEA) to review its relationship with Russia, to help create a prohibition perimeter of 30 kilometers from the plants for Russian forces, as well as to press for NATO to establish a zone no-fly over the country, according to the document seen by Reuters.

The IAEA has said it is working with all parties to determine how it could effectively provide assistance.

The IAEA Board of Governors approved a resolution on Thursday criticizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and calling on it to allow the country to control all of its nuclear facilities, with only two votes against, diplomats said.

The United States and its NATO allies have rejected Ukraine’s request to impose a no-fly zone over the country, arguing that this would lead to a direct confrontation with Russia.

Kotin said that Russian troops had advanced to within 35 km of the Zaporizhia plant and the South Ukraine power plant and that Ukrainian and Russian troops had clashed on Wednesday in Voznesensk, some 30 km away. .

“If the situation worsens, it will be impossible to think about what will happen if they start bombing. They just don’t know what they’re doingKotin said, adding that he did not believe the Russians had been ordered to launch an attack on the plants.

Russia describes its actions in Ukraine, which began on February 24, as a “special operation” which, he says, is not designed to occupy territory, but to destroy the military capabilities of its neighbor to the south and capture those it considers dangerous nationalists.

Kotin said Russian troops wanted local forces to surrender so they could take control of surrounding areas and the power plant.

“The Zaporizhia plant continues to operate normally. There is no deviation from normal operations, but consumption during this war has drastically decreased to only three units of the six that work”, he said of the 6,000-megawatt plant.