A Russian attack on a Ukrainian substation could knock out power to a nuclear power plant, increasing the risk of a meltdown.

UN nuclear watchdog convenes special meeting amid growing concerns over Ukraine Russian attack Its energy facilities could cause a nuclear accident.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said at the start of a special board meeting in Vienna on Friday that the war in Ukraine posed “the greatest threat to nuclear security in the world”.

The meeting came as a team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a week-long inspection of 10 substations, which Grossi said were “critical to nuclear safety.”

Although nuclear power plants generate their own electricity, they rely on an uninterrupted supply of external power from substations to keep their reactors cool.

Ukraine has four nuclear power plants, three of which are under Kiev’s control and the fourth and largest is located in Kiev. Zaporizhia The area has been occupied by Russian forces since the beginning of a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear disaster by attacking the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down since the occupation, but the plant still needs electricity to maintain its cooling and safety systems.

At the beginning of this month, Russia Ukraine suspended hostilities there to repair the last backup power line supplying the plant, which was damaged by military activity in January.

Ukraine is also home to the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986. Last year, the plant’s shield containing radioactive material was damaged. drone attack Allegedly done by Russia.

Status of energy ceasefire unclear

The four-hour IAEA meeting was called at the request of the Netherlands and backed by at least 11 other countries to increase pressure on Russia.

Dutch Ambassador Peter Portman told the committee that Russia’s “constant” attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks have caused significant damage.

“Not only does this leave millions of Ukrainians living in cold and darkness during a very harsh winter, but… it makes the possibility of a nuclear accident almost a reality,” he said.

Ukrainian Ambassador Yuri Vittrenko said now was the “best time” for the International Atomic Energy Agency to draw further attention to the threat posed by Russia’s “systematic and deliberate” attacks to Europe’s nuclear safety and security.

Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov dismissed the committee gathering as “definitely politically motivated”, adding that “there is no need to hold such a meeting today”.

The circumstances of the current one-week pause in attacks on energy infrastructure are currently unclear.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russia had agreed to his request not to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for a week.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that neither Moscow nor Kiev had carried out strikes on energy targets since Thursday night.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said the pause in attacks would end on Sunday.