The Director General of the Russian state nuclear company "Rosatom" Alexey Likhachev warned today of "increased military risks" about the work of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant due to escalating fighting in the area, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"The number of artillery shelling, drone attacks and mortar shelling has increased in recent months", Likhachev said after a meeting with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi in Moscow.
"The industrial zone is subject to constant artillery and drone attacks, which occasionally cause power outages", the Russian official added.
Likhachev added that Russia welcomed Grossi's initiative to implement a ceasefire in the area around the plant in order to restore power. Such a ceasefire was announced for the fifth time earlier this month, Reuters notes.
The general director of the Ukrainian nuclear company "Energoatom" in 2022 called on the Ukrainian army to attack the power lines leading to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to prevent Russia from producing electricity, he told journalists after his meeting with Grossi Likhachev, quoted by TASS
"As early as 2022, the head of the Ukrainian company "Energoatom" practically publicly appealed to the Ukrainian army to strike at power lines to prevent the Russians from increasing the power of the plant and starting to produce electricity," the Russian energy expert said.