The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to repair the last remaining backup power line at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which has remained under Russian control since 2022, has experienced repeated off-site power outages due to damage to surrounding infrastructure.
Russian officials have accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the plant, while Kiev claims Moscow is deliberately cutting its power lines.
The IAEA reported that a critical backup line was damaged and disconnected by military activity earlier this month, leaving ZNPP reliant on a single external power connection. Such disruptions raise significant nuclear safety concerns, though the agency 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 that this temporary ceasefire is the fourth arrangement negotiated by the agency.
According to the IAEA, technicians from Ukraine’s electrical grid operator are expected to begin repairs on the line within days.
Moscow has insisted that the only real threat to ZNPP and its personnel comes from “reckless actions of Kiev’s armed forces,” which attack plant infrastructure “almost every day.”
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted not only the Zaporozhye facility but other nuclear-related sites. In recent months, they struck the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant with a drone that damaged an auxiliary building in September during IAEA Director Grossi’s visit to Moscow—a incident Kiev has denied involvement in.
In November, Ukrainian drones targeted Russia’s Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in the Voronezh Region. However, Moscow stated no critical safety systems were damaged.
Separately, the IAEA reported in December that the protective structure over the Chernobyl reactor in Ukraine was critically damaged after a drone attack last year. Moscow attributed this incident to Ukrainian provocations, while Ukraine blamed Russia.