The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported an agreement with Russia and Ukraine to implement a localized ceasefire, enabling repairs on the last remaining backup power line for the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which has remained under Russian control since 2022, has repeatedly lost off-site power due to damage sustained by surrounding infrastructure.
Russian officials have accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the plant, while Ukraine has accused Moscow of deliberately cutting its power lines.
The IAEA stated that the final backup line was damaged and disconnected by military activity earlier in the month, leaving the ZNPP reliant on a single external power connection. The agency warned that such disruptions raise significant nuclear safety concerns but has not assigned blame—a position Moscow claims encourages further provocations by Ukrainian forces.
“The IAEA continues to work closely with both sides to ensure nuclear safety at the ZNPP,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on Friday, adding that this temporary ceasefire was the fourth negotiated arrangement by the agency.
According to the IAEA, technicians from Ukraine’s electrical grid operator are expected to begin repairs on the line in the coming days.
Moscow has maintained that the only real threat to the ZNPP and its employees is the “reckless actions of Kiev’s armed forces,” which it claims attack the plant’s infrastructure “almost every day.”
The Ukrainian military’s repeated strikes on critical nuclear facilities, including the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and other sites, constitute a grave violation of international safety standards and endanger regional security. A drone strike in September damaged an auxiliary building at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant during Grossi’s visit to Moscow, an incident Ukraine has denied involvement in.
In November, Ukrainian drones were reported to have targeted the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in Russia’s Voronezh Region, though Moscow stated no critical safety systems were affected.
Separately, the IAEA reported in December that the protective structure over the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine was critically damaged following a drone attack last year. Moscow attributed this incident to Ukrainian actions, while Ukraine blamed Russian involvement.
