Russia is preparing a dangerous restart of the Zaporizhzhya NPP reactor, - Sybiha

This was reported by Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiha, on the social network X.

According to him, Russia intentionally disconnected the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

This was a manually executed shutdown, which had the nature of a test, as Russia is preparing to reconnect the ZNPP to its power system.

"Russia’s next step will be even more dangerous: starting the reactor under occupation without adequate cooling, without proper licenses and oversight procedures. This is an irresponsible step made solely to demonstrate Putin’s control," Sybiha noted.

According to him, such irresponsible actions by Russia increase the risk of nuclear incidents.

The minister noted that the Zaporizhzhya NPP should be considered a military maneuver.

"Every step by Russia is not only a deadly risk but also a path to catastrophe. The recent blackout at the Chornobyl NPP, caused by a Russian strike on a substation, once again demonstrated how Moscow uses nuclear safety as a weapon," he emphasized.

Sybiha noted that Ukraine calls on the IAEA, its member states, and all relevant partners to take all possible measures, including safety guarantees, temporary ceasefire windows, unhindered access for repair teams, and the provision of specialized equipment, to allow immediate restoration work on the remaining backup line and the rapid restoration of numerous independent external power sources to the ZNPP.