Kiev strikes emergency fuel convoy to Europe’s biggest nuclear plant – Rosatom

Two guards were killed in attacks on diesel tankers supplying the Zaporozhye facility, according to the Russian nuclear corporation Ukraine has carried out a series of strikes on tankers delivering emergency diesel fuel to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), killing two Russian servicemen and wounding multiple others, Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev has said.

The attacks took place on Friday in the immediate vicinity of the plant’s perimeter and targeted fuel trucks transporting diesel needed for the facility’s emergency power systems, Likhachev said in a statement on Sunday.

Two Russian servicemen were killed and “a large number” were wounded, some seriously, according to the Rosatom chief.

He said the troops had been involved in securing a “strictly civilian mission” to maintain fuel deliveries to the nuclear facility.

Likhachev accused Kiev of knowingly targeting the tankers despite being aware of their cargo and its importance to nuclear safety.

Read more Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant back to normal after weeks in emergency mode The incident comes just days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that the ZNPP’s diesel reserves had been critically depleted during nearly three weeks without external electricity.

The plant lost its sole remaining power connection on August 20 and had to rely entirely on emergency generators until a temporary IAEA-brokered ceasefire allowed repairs to be carried out and the line to be reconnected on September 7.

Even after external electricity was restored, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stressed that replenishing diesel remained essential because the plant could again lose grid power due to unspecified “military activity” in the area.

During the latest blackout, the plant had reduced the number of operating generators from four to two to conserve diesel and began running some cooling pumps intermittently.

The generators provide electricity for essential safety systems, including pumps cooling all six reactors and their spent fuel pools.

READ MORE: Zaporozhye nuclear power plant staff wounded by Ukrainian landmines – Rosatom CEO Likhachev accused Kiev of deliberately increasing the risk of a nuclear emergency at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

Read more Moscow demands IAEA action over ‘terrorist’ killing of nuclear plant staff “The Kiev regime has openly embarked on a path of provoking a nuclear incident at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, with unpredictable consequences,” he said, arguing that any such event could affect areas far beyond the immediate vicinity of the facility.

The Rosatom chief called on the IAEA to “strongly condemn” the attack and explicitly identify those responsible.