Petr Kotin, head of Energoatom, stated that if Rosatom chooses to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to its national networks, Ukraine should consider launching an artillery strike against the power lines feeding the facility. The remarks were reported by RBC Ukraine.
He added that for Ukraine it would be correct to target the lines linking the plant, and that Ukrainian forces would be prepared to act if necessary. Kotin explained that to transfer the plant’s capacity to Crimea, the station must be cut off from the Ukrainian energy system and connected to the substation at Dzhankoy and the Kakhovka power plant.
According to him, after Ukraine joins the European energy system, all Russian-controlled areas would need to be isolated, because the Ukrainian and Russian electricity networks do not share the same frequency.
Paper G7
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations issued a joint statement addressed to the Russian government. They called for transferring the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and all Ukraine’s nuclear facilities under Kyiv’s control.
The ministers from Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, underscored their ongoing condemnation of Russia’s war against Ukraine. They urged Russia to withdraw its troops beyond internationally recognized borders and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
According to TASS, the text of the statement was circulated by the agency. The G7 ministers also stated that Ukrainian personnel should be able to perform their duties without threats or coercion. The document highlights concerns about Russia’s control over the Zaporizhzhia plant and the associated risks to regional security.
At the same time, G7 ministers welcomed the efforts of IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi to bolster nuclear safety at facilities in Ukraine. The statement called for the continued deployment of IAEA expert missions to Zaporizhzhia to resolve safety issues while fully respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty.
On June 3, Russian and IAEA officials agreed on the path and timing of the international mission to Zaporizhzhia, with Grossi expected to lead the mission. The trip, however, did not take place.
On August 9, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the IAEA mission was blocked at the last moment by the UN Secretariat’s security department.
nuclear power plant bombing
Russia pressed for a United Nations Security Council meeting on August 11 to discuss the Zaporizhzhia plant, citing Ukrainian actions and their potential catastrophic consequences. Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s deputy representative to the UN, described the session as a response to recent Ukrainian attacks on the plant and its storage facilities.
Prior to this, Ukrainian forces targeted the dry storage areas for spent nuclear fuel. Energodar officials warned that damage to the plant’s infrastructure could trigger consequences far beyond the region, potentially causing a global man-made disaster greater than the Chernobyl accident.
The Ukrainian military reportedly used the Uragan multiple launch rocket system during bombardments, and the radiation monitoring post was damaged in the process. Earlier in August, Ukrainian forces conducted several strikes on the plant and Energodar.
Zaporizhzhia remains under Russian control as of March, and the plant operates at about 70 percent of its capacity due to leftover electricity in the southern part of the Zaporizhzhia region. Energodar hosts one of Europe’s largest nuclear facilities, contributing a sizable share of Ukraine’s electricity. The plant comprises six units, with plans to supply power to Crimea and Sevastopol in the future.