Russia unable to manage Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant safety – Ukraine

Ukraine on Wednesday said Moscow was incapable of managing safety at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after what it called reports of a huge spillage of diesel.

Russia has reportedly occupied the plant since the early days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have since then accused each other of staging attacks and risking a nuclear incident.

“We have received reports of diesel reservoir damage at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The spilled fuel was enough to power the station's emergency generators for 25 days,”; Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on X.

He, however, did not give the origin of the reports or say when or how the damage had come about, saying only that it was a direct result of Russia's reckless replacement of licensed Ukrainian experts with Russian staff.

“Russians not only stole the plant, but they are unable to manage its basic safety,” he said.

At the time of filing this report, there were no immediate Russian reports on Wednesday about a diesel spill at the plant.

Ukraine said that Russia's management of the station, which is currently not producing electricity, has led to severe degradation of equipment, stating that the station could only renew operations if it is brought back under Ukraine's control.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, that the plant should be treated as a Russian facility, stressing that Ukrainian control of it is impossible.

President Donald Trump suggested the United States could help run and possibly own Ukraine's nuclear power plants, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ownership has not been discussed and ruled out such a possibility.