The latest incident - a diesel tank failure at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant - threatens the stability of the plant's operation and could lead to a catastrophe similar to the accident at the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi NPP.
As is known, the ZAPP has backup diesel generators that power safety systems in the event of a loss of external power. If the plant loses connection to the Ukrainian power grid due to military action or deliberate sabotage by the occupiers, it will have to rely on these generators. However, the tank failure means there is no fuel, which prevents the generators from operating.
The emergency power outage caused the tragedy at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP in 2011. After the tsunami, the reactors lost power and the backup generators were unable to ensure stable operation of the cooling systems. This led to overheating and partial melting of the reactor cores.
Today, Russia is creating a similar threat with its own hands at the NPP. The occupation administration is unable to guarantee the safety of the power plant and its actions are aimed at undermining its stable operation. The Russian army has repeatedly attacked power lines leading to the plant, and now it has also damaged a key reserve of emergency fuel.
The Russian Federation is trying to shift the blame to Ukraine, claiming that Ukrainian attacks threaten the safety of the plant. However, the facts show otherwise: the power plant is under the full control of the Russian military, and all such incidents occur solely because of their actions.
Ukraine calls on the international community to immediately tighten sanctions against Rosatom and demand the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the NPP. Every day the plant is occupied is another step towards a possible nuclear disaster.