ODESSA | UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on Russia not to cut off the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which it controls, from the Ukrainian network, as Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of dangerous bombardments from the site.
“Of course, Zaporizhia’s electricity is Ukrainian electricity (…) this principle must be fully respected,” Guterres told a press conference on the sidelines of a visit to the port of Odessa. .
Ukrainian power plant operator Energoatom said it feared on Friday that Russia would cut off the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe and which it has controlled since March, from the Ukrainian electricity grid.
“There are reports that the Russian occupiers plan to shut down the operation of the reactors and cut them off from the supply lines of the Ukrainian energy system,” Energoatom said on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian operator, the Russian military is looking for supplies for diesel generators that would be activated after the shutdown of the reactors and has limited personnel access to the site.
Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other in recent weeks of bombings that have targeted this nuclear power plant located in southern Ukraine, raising the specter of a major disaster in Europe.
Mr. Guterres estimated Thursday that “any potential damage to Zaporijjia would be suicide” and called for the demilitarization of the territory of the plant.