Are Russian Forces Withdrawing from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant? The president of Ukraine’s nuclear energy company Energoatom claimed this weekend that Russian forces could be preparing to leave the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The news follows weeks of rumors and reports from local news outlets that Russian forces may have been negotiating a deal to leave the plant.
Speaking to TSN, Petro Kotin said that there are “signs” Russia could be looking to leave the plant, which has been used as storage for Russian military vehicles, weapons, and ammunition since the early days of the conflict.
“There are some signs showing that they might be going to leave the Zaporizhzhia NPP. First of all, there have been a lot of publications in the Russian press saying that the Zaporizhzhia NPP could be left and handed over to the IAEA’s control,” Kotin said, suggesting that the International Atomic Energy Agency could be prepared to take over the plant as an independent third party.
Kotin said it looks as though Russian officials are “packing and stealing whatever they can find” on the plant.
Reports also revealed that Ukrainian workers at the plant, who have remained in the facility throughout the Russian invasion, were blocked from entering the facility in recent days.
Power Returns to Nuclear Plant
Following Russian shelling last week, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, along with three other Ukrainian nuclear plants in Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and South Ukraine, were disconnected from the national power grid.
Zaporizhzhia remained in a cold state, powered by diesel generators to keep essential safety equipment running.
On Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi confirmed that external power had been reconnected just one day after it was disconnected.
Power was also returned to the three other Ukrainian nuclear power plants this week, and a statement from the IAEA confirmed that a week-long mission to the site of the Chernobyl power plant, as well as the surrounding Exclusion Zone, had helped experts plan for upgrades at operational nuclear sites in Ukraine.
The purpose of the mission was to gain a “better understanding of the plant’s safety and security needs” and IAEA officials provided “advice and guidance on radiation monitoring” to workers at the Zaporizhzhia plant.
“The mission will help pave the way for upgrades and improvements of the plant’s nuclear security systems,” Grossi said in a statement.
Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom also confirmed this week that it supported establishing a protection zone around the plant, as proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
Brad Arnold
November 27, 2022 at 4:14 pm
Typical pro-Ukrainian propaganda that populates this website. Russians are running put of missiles…the Russian army ready to collapse…Putin is ill. Now it is Ruusians are abandoning the largest nuclear reactor in Europe. Newsium.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: Russia is just getting started. Get real.
jack Dunster
November 27, 2022 at 5:29 pm
well, Mr Brad Arnold.. Smack yourself on the side of your head – because Putin’s Russia has lost – morally, physically and geographically.. Oh it will cause immense destruction – but it has lost. More importantly, Putin’s attempt to extend his empire has exposed his agents, and his useful idiots to the light of day. So which one are you?
George
November 27, 2022 at 10:55 pm
I will argue that Russia’s primary objective in sizing the power plant was to deny its use to the Ukrainians. Having done so and having damaged the power plant to the point where it can not be restarted anytime soon, the Russians are free to leave the area.
samir sardana
December 4, 2022 at 1:23 pm
THERE IS NO HOPE W/O RUSSIAN GAS for EUROPE AND ESPECIALLY FOR FRANCE !
LOOK AT THE EDF DISASTER IN FRANCE
EDF IS DOOMED !
A 50 BILLION USD DEBT
A 31 BILLION USD LOSS,DUE TO BUYING POWER, IN BULK FROM EU, TO SELL AT LOWER RATES TO RETAIL, DUE TO POWER OUTAGES
A 11 BILLION USD LOSS DUE TO MACRON RETAIL ENERGY PRICE CAPS
26 OF ITS 56 BWR AND PHWR, ARE DOWN !
THERE IS “NO PROBLEM” OF “EDF’s nuclear reactor restart programme.”
EDF HAS MADE 1 MONUMENTAL BLUNDER ! EDF ENGINEERS TINKERED WITH THE WESTINGHOUSE DESIGNS – WITH THE AIM OF REDUCING COSTS ! THAT CAUSED SCC (STRESS CORROSION CRACKS) IN PIPE WELD POINTS, AT THE ELBOW,WHICH ARE CLOSE TO THE NUKE CORE !
THESE PIPES ARE PART OF THE SIS – WHICH INJECT BORATED WATER INTO THE CORE,TO COOL DOWN * SHUT DOWN THE REACTOR ! THE MOST CRITICAL COMPONENT OF A STANDBY SECURITY MODE IN CASE THE PRIMARY COOLANT SYSTEM FAILS ! SCC IS NOT CAUSED BY THERMAL STRESS AND CANNOT BE DETECTED BY ULTRASOUND
EDF MISSED THIS DETECTION FOR > 10 YEARS ! DIS-ASS-TER !THAT IS THE NATURE OF SCC – IT REQUIRES MINUTE & EXTENSIVE EXAMINATION
ON TOP OF THAT EDF HAD A LABOUR STRIKE – AT THE “RIGHT TIME” & PUTIN WAR “AT THE “RIGHT TIME”,& A SEVERE WINTER,AFTER A SEVERE SUMMER !dindooohindoo
ON TOP OF THAT THE SCC NEEDS MANUAL REPAIRS DUE TO RADIATION LIMITATIONS – AND EDF HAS SHORTAGE OF SKILS. THEY NEED TECHNICIANS FROM WESTINGHOUSE AND ROBOTS (WHICH ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY)
THIS SCC REPAIR WILL TAKE FROM 5-12 MONTHS + TIME FOR FUEL LOADING !
SO FRANCE IS SET TO FREEZE IN WINTER !