SIMFEROPOL, October 3. /TASS/. Over the past three years, the Kiev regime’s targeted strikes disabled 8 of 10 high-voltage external power lines supplying the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The purpose of their systematic destruction is to prevent electricity generation at ZNPP and to create extreme psychological pressure on the plant's staff, Renat Karchaa, a nuclear energy expert, advisor to the head of Crimea, and member of the Legislative Assembly of the Zaporozhye Region, has told TASS.
Until February 2022, the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant had 10 external high-voltage lines. Of these, two remain, but they are also non-functional. The first, 330 kV Ferrosplavnaya-1 line, has been disconnected since May 7 by the plant’s safety system. The other, 750 kV Dneprovskaya, was damaged by Ukrainian bombardments on September 23. Since then, the station has been powered by backup diesel-electric power generators.
"From the very beginning, one of the Kiev regime's main aims was to destroy the Zaporozhye NPP's external power supply infrastructure, creating threats to nuclear safety for Russia and preventing the station from switching to full capacity and generating electricity. For three years, the Ukrainian armed forces systematically destroyed the station's external lines. Eight were completely disabled by Ukrainian strikes, and the remaining two are also not functioning due to Kiev's undeniable fault. Therefore, all accusations from Ukraine and their Western masters, the manipulation of public opinion, and hysterical attacks against Russia in this regard are false and hypocritical," said Karchaa.
Kiev accuses Russia of deliberately cutting off power to the Zaporozhye NPP, attempting to reinforce the image of Russia as an "evil empire" in the global community, and then accuse Russia of an irresponsible attitude toward nuclear safety, the expert believes. He is certain that Ukraine will not be able to implement this plan, as Russia is capable of ensuring the safe operation of the Zaporozhye NPP, despite all the threats from the Ukrainian armed forces.
The agency's source clarified that prior to the special military operation, Zaporozhye NPP's external power supply was provided by four 750 kV lines: Yuzhno-Donbasskaya, Kakhovka, Zaporozhye, and Dneprovskaya. He recalled that the Ukrainian armed forces disabled the Yuzhno-Donbasskaya and Zaporozhye lines in March 2022, destroyed the Kakhovka line in August 2022, and damaged the Dneprovskaya line on September 23. During 2022, Ukrainian forces also destroyed five of the six 330 kV lines. Furthermore, the Ukrainian forces caused irreparable damage to outdoor switchgear located at Zaporozhye NPP infrastructure facilities on the territory of the adjacent Zaporozhye Thermal Power Plant.
On Ukrainian bombardments of Zaporozhye NPP and Putin's statements
As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian forces on September 23, the last external power line to the Zaporozhye NPP was damaged. The plant was switched to diesel generators. This marked the 10th such incident since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict. On October 2, at the Valdai Discussion Club’s plenary session, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed claims that Russia was shelling its own nuclear power plant as "nonsense." The head of state stated that Russia was monitoring the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP and was taking measures to protect the facility. He also called the Ukrainian militants' strikes on the plant a "dangerous game," raising the possibility of a "mirror response" from Russia.