Russian shelling prompts shutdown at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant

A reactor at a Ukrainian nuclear plant has been shut down after Russian shelling, its operator said, as Kyiv accused Moscow of trying to derail an urgent mission to the facility by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

One of the two operational reactors at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was deactivated after Russian forces launched mortar bombs in the area, said Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear company. It also said a power supply line used for the plant was damaged and auxiliary generators had to be activated.

Russia and Ukraine have traded accusations of shelling around the facility, Europe’s largest nuclear plant. President Zelensky warned last week that Europe was “one step away” from a disaster.

The plant is held by Russian troops but is being run by Ukrainian workers under Russian supervision. The Russian military is thought to have deployed artillery and missile systems to the site.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said he was aware of “increased military activity” in the region but that he and his 14-strong team were pressing on with a visit to the facility in an effort to prevent a nuclear accident.

The team this morning arrived at the nuclear station, and will seek to establish a permanent presence at the site. “We know there is a grey area where the last line of Ukrainian defence ends and the first line of the Russian occupying forces begins where the risks are significant,” he said before arriving. “I believe we have to proceed with this. We have a very important mission to accomplish.”

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said the Russians had stepped up shelling in the area in an attempt to disrupt the inspection. “These are the actions of a terrorist state afraid of the world learning the truth,” he tweeted. “Russia is responsible for everything that is happening.”

Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, where the plant is located, said Russian troops had shelled residential areas in a sustained attack.

Russia’s defence ministry claimed that it had thwarted an early morning operation by Ukrainian forces to seize the plant. The ministry said dozens of Ukrainian troops in boats had crossed the Dnipro river, which divides territory held by Russia and Ukraine. It said its troops had “taken measures to annihilate the enemy”. The report could not be verified.

The Red Cross urged an immediate cessation of hostilities in the area today, warning that the consequences of a strike on the plant would be “catastrophic”. Robert Mardini, the head of the organisation, said: “It is high time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures to protect this facility and others like it from any military operations. The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastation that we will regret for decades. In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to provide humanitarian assistance.”

Last week Ukraine distributed iodine tablets to people living near the plant, which supplied more than 20 per cent of the country’s electricity before the war. Potassium iodide can provide protection against radiation poisoning for about 24 hours.

Ukrainian forces are engaged in a counter-offensive to retake the southern Kherson region, which was captured in March. Kyiv has warned against expectations of a quick victory, with a senior official describing the offensive as an operation to “grind down” Russian forces.