The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced it has brokered a “local ceasefire” in Russia’s war in Ukraine around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to allow essential repairs to take place.
The UN nuclear watchdog reported the ceasefire took effect Friday morning. The safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, has been a top concern since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began more than four years ago.
The front line of the war cuts through the eastern Zaporizhia region, which has been heavily impacted by intense ground fighting, drone attacks, and shelling. With fears of a nuclear accident persistently high, the IAEA said technicians from both sides would begin repairing “war damage” in the coming days.
This is the sixth temporary ceasefire negotiated by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi since the war started in 2022. He said Moscow and Kyiv agreed to pause hostilities to allow work on the Dniprovska power line “in the interests of nuclear safety.”
The plant had been disconnected from that line more than two months ago, leaving it reliant on a single line to supply the electricity needed to cool its six shut-down reactors. In recent weeks, it repeatedly lost connection to that line, forcing reliance on emergency diesel generators.
Violence remained intense right until the local ceasefire took effect. An overnight drone attack in the Zaporizhia region killed a woman and wounded 16 others, according to emergency services.
Attacks also continued elsewhere across Ukraine. A Russian drone struck a food production facility near Kyiv early Friday, killing four people, regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram. On Thursday evening, Russian drone strikes killed a 75-year-old man in the southern city of Kherson, according to city military administration chief Yaroslav Shanko. In the northeastern city of Konotop, three children were wounded in Russian attacks, Mayor Artem Semenikhin wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia would boost its air defense systems to counter recent Ukrainian drone strikes. “Russia has air defenses. Yes, we need to improve them. Yes, we need to strengthen them. And we will do so,” he said.
