A series of missile attacks cut off the supply to the Zaporizhzhia power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine. State-owned Energoatom warned that the infrastructure, Europe's largest nuclear plant, has been completely cut off from the grid following Russian attacks in recent hours:
Today, 9 March 2023, at 03:53 am, as a result of ruzzists’ missile attacks, the last overhead transmisison line connecting the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian energy system was disconnected.#standwithukraine #stoprussia pic.twitter.com/jrlaz0qOk7
— Energoatom (@energoatom_ua) March 9, 2023
The state-owned company also warned through a statement on its website that the shutdown of the nuclear power plant could lead to an emergency that could affect the health and supply of the entire world:
If the off-site power supply to the plant cannot be restored within that time frame [that the company puts it at 10 days], an accident may occurr having radiation consequences for the whole world.
Attacks on Zaporizhzhia "cannot go on"
The International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) also commented on the attack. According to its Director General, Rafael Grossi, in an address to the UN Board of Governors, this is an untenable situation: "What are we doing? How can we sit here in this room this morning and allow this to happen? This cannot go on."
In his speech, the head of the institution claimed that "we are rolling the dice" every time there is an attack on the Zaporizhzhia power plant: "If we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out," he warned.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attack came "in retaliation" for a recent incursion into its territory, which it attributed to Ukrainian "saboteurs":
In response to the Kiev regime's terrorist acts in the Bryansk region [Rusia] on March 2, the armed forces of the Russian Federation carried out massive retaliatory shellings.
The attack, carried out with "Kinzhal" (dagger in Russian) missiles, also caused consequences in cities such as Kiev and Kharkov. In the Ukrainian capital, 15% of inhabitants are without power, reports EFE. The problems also reached Odessa. However, the most affected locality is Kharkov. According to its governor, "the enemy launched 15 attacks on the city and the region, targeting essential infrastructures."
