Power supplies to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant were interrupted after the Ukrainian forces shelled power lines in the region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Kremlin warned of the threat of catastrophe.
The Kakhovskaya high-voltage line, which supplies electricity to Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions was damaged as a result of the shelling, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"A power surge occurred at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which caused smoke on the open switchgear of the station. The protection system was activated, the power supplies were cut off automatically," the ministry said.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene eliminated the smoke, the Ministry of Defense added. In order to prevent disruption of the nuclear power unit, the personnel reduced the capacity of the fifth and sixth units to 500 MW.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It is located in Enerhodar, Ukraine. On February 28, four days after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Russian troops took the territory of the station under control. Since that time, the military-civilian administration (MCA), which was formed on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region, has repeatedly reported incidents of shelling from Ukraine.
On August 5, two power lines required for the operation of the power units of the nuclear power plants were damaged as a result of the shelling. On August 6-7 overnight, fragments and a rocket engine crashed about 400 meters from the operating power unit, the administration said.
The Kremlin warned that the shelling of the nuclear power plant was extremely dangerous and could lead to "catastrophic consequences for a vast territory, including Europe."
The Russian embassy in the United States called on the American media to stop "trumpeting Russophobic fabrications” about Moscow being allegedly involved in the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The real state of affairs is exactly the opposite, the embassy said, urging the UN and the IAEA to take "immediate measures to prevent provocations at radiation hazardous facilities in Ukraine."