China News Agency, Moscow, March 9 (Reporter Tian Bing) Since the Russian military launched a special military operation in Ukraine, the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear power plant facilities has attracted great attention from the international community.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said at a press conference on the 9th that the Russian military and Ukrainian experts are jointly monitoring the situation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and the current state of radiation at the nuclear power plant is normal.
Zakharova said that the Russian military has taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and adjacent areas.
This step was taken to prevent "nuclear provocations" by Ukrainian nationalists or other terrorist groups, as well as foreign mercenaries entering Ukraine, and these risks "really exist."
Zakharova said that the Russian military and Ukrainian experts are jointly monitoring the Chernobyl and Zaporozhye nuclear power plants.
Radiation levels at both nuclear power plants are currently normal.
Zaporozhye nuclear power plant installations operate in normal technical mode and pose no danger to civilians living in adjacent areas.
She refuted Ukrainian claims that Russian forces had attacked the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, saying that Ukrainian claims that radiation levels at the nuclear power plant had increased by a factor of 20 were false.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba issued a statement on social media on the 9th, saying that the power supply line of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant controlled by the Russian army was damaged, and the nuclear power plant has been completely cut off.
He said the plant's backup diesel generators will restore power to the plant for 48 hours.
The cooling system of the nuclear power plant's spent nuclear fuel storage will be shut down after a power outage, which will cause the danger of nuclear radiation leakage.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pankov reported at a press conference on the 9th that Ukrainian nationalists carried out extremely dangerous provocations and attacked the power grid equipment that powers the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Russian experts quickly took measures to start Backup diesel generator.
He also said that the Ukrainian side avoided organizing any maintenance and repair work on the power supply facilities.
The Russian Satellite News Agency quoted Russian Deputy Energy Minister Sorokin as saying that the Belarusian side solved the problem of using the Belarusian energy system to restore uninterrupted power supply through the online mode.
Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said on social media that he discussed the situation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Grossi, calling its situation "very worrying."
He called on Russia to ensure the security of Ukraine's nuclear infrastructure.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on the same day that it could not receive the remote transmission data of the nuclear fuel safeguard system originally installed at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. For more information, the group said it had not observed major breaches of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's safety systems.
Ukrainian regulators had earlier informed the agency that the BSEC appeared to have cut off power supplies, including those used to cool spent fuel.
The IAEA said the situation violated critical safety support for ensuring uninterrupted power supply.
The agency also believes that the heat load of the spent fuel storage pool and the amount of cooling water contained in the pool are sufficient to maintain effective heat dissipation in the absence of electricity supply.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located more than 100 kilometers north of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
On April 26, 1986, the reactor of Unit 4 of the nuclear power plant exploded, causing the world's worst nuclear leakage accident to date.
The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and accounts for 25% of Ukraine's total nuclear power generation.
The TASS news agency reported on the 9th that the nuclear power plant is now under the complete control of the Russian National Guard, and the nuclear power plant staff are working normally. The Ukrainian National Guard soldiers guarding the site have handed over their weapons and been released home.
Nuclear power occupies an important place in Ukraine's energy sources.
In 2020, nuclear power accounted for 51.14% of Ukraine's national power structure.
In addition to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there are currently 4 operating nuclear power plants in Ukraine with a total of 15 nuclear reactors. Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in Zaporozhye Oblast, and Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant in Khmelnitsky Oblast.
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