Partial power line restored at Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant: Kyiv to IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency says that, according to the Ukrainian regulator, some of the power lines linking Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to the electricity grid have been repaired

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that, according to the Ukrainian regulator, some of the power lines linking the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to the electricity grid have been repaired.

"With the two off-site power lines that are currently available, including the one on standby, all safety systems at the NPP remain fully functional and there are no safety concerns, the [Ukrainian] regulator said. It was not known when the two other non-functioning lines could be reconnected," the IAEA said in a statement, updated on Saturday.

According to the Ukrainian regulator, one of the remaining non-functioning power lines could be reconnected to the plant on March 22.

On March 4, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kyiv attempted a provocation at the Zaporizhzhya the night before and accused Moscow of creating a source of radioactive contamination at the plant. According to the ministry, a group of Russian soldiers were patrolling the area adjacent to the station when a Ukrainian sabotage unit opened fire on them from the windows of several floors of an educational and training complex located outside the NPP. It was suppressed by return fire. The sabotage group set the building ablaze when leaving it. The fire was later extinguished, with the radiation levels assessed as normal.

In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) "appealed" for help in defending themselves against Kyiv forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.