The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced it has secured a “localised ceasefire” in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to allow for critical repair work.
The UN nuclear watchdog reported that the ceasefire took effect on Friday morning. The safety of the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been a major concern since the war began over four years ago.
The front line runs through the eastern Zaporizhzhia region, which has experienced intense ground fighting, drone strikes, and artillery exchanges. With fears of a nuclear accident remaining high, the IAEA stated that technicians from both sides will begin repairing “war-related damage” in the coming days.
This marks the sixth temporary ceasefire negotiated by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi since the conflict started in 2022. He said Moscow and Kyiv agreed to halt fighting to allow repairs to the Dniprovska power line “for the sake of nuclear safety.”
The plant was disconnected from that line over two months ago, leaving it reliant on a single power line to cool its six shutdown reactors. In recent weeks, the plant repeatedly lost access to that line, forcing the use of emergency diesel generators.
Violence continued right up to the ceasefire. An overnight drone attack in the Zaporizhzhia region killed a woman and wounded 16 others, according to emergency services.
Attacks persisted elsewhere in Ukraine. A Russian drone struck a food production facility near Kyiv early Friday, killing four people, said regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk on Telegram. “The enemy attacked a peaceful civilian food industry enterprise,” he stated.
On Thursday evening, Russian drone attacks killed a 75-year-old man in the southern city of Kherson, according to the city’s military administration head Yaroslav Shanko. In Konotop, northeastern Ukraine, three children were wounded in Russian attacks, Mayor Artem Semenikhin wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks. “Russia has an air defense system. Yes, we must improve it. Yes, we must strengthen it. And we will do so,” he said.
Source: www.aljazeera.com