Local ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war to repair Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a local ceasefire took effect near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine on Friday. Both sides agreed to pause fighting to enable repairs to an external power line, the Russian officials told Reuters.

It is pertinent to note that the plant is Europe’s largest and has been under Russian control since shortly after the start of the war in 2022. While it is not currently producing electricity, it relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and avoid a catastrophic accident.

In the past, Russia and Ukraine have both frequently accused each other of jeopardising safety at the plant by staging attacks nearby. A similar local truce was established last year when the power lines went down for weeks, and the site was forced to rely on emergency diesel generators.

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The Russian management said in a statement that the latest ceasefire had been put in place with help from Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Russian officials noted that one of the external power lines was still working, and repairs to the other would take at least a week. Radiation levels are normal, the management said.

Meanwhile, there was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the matter. It is pertinent to note that the question of who should control and operate the huge plant is one of the contentious issues in slow-moving US-mediated peace talks, which are set to resume in Geneva next month.

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With inputs from Reuters.