Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “remains very risky, dangerous” even after two power units were reconnected to the country’s energy grid after an outage.
The plant is working “despite provocations by occupying Russian forces,” state-owned operator Energoatom said. Zelenskiy said in a video address that the International Atomic Energy Agency should be allowed to arrive “soonest” to help prevent further incidents.
Several strikes were reported near the plant overnight. Russia’s Tass news agency said they came from Ukrainian forces, while Ukraine’s nuclear inspection agency said they were Russian attacks. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, also expressed concern about the situation.
Russian forces hit several private houses, warehouses and power lines in eastern Ukraine, according to a statement by Ukraine’s General Staff. Russia’s naval group continues reconnaissance and a blockade of civilian shipping in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said. Seven Russian ammunition depots in southern Ukraine were destroyed this week, said Natalia Humenyuk, a Ukrainian military spokeswoman.