Ukraine War13 September, 20263 min read
Russia’s Nuclear Chief Alexei Likhachev Says Ukraine Attacked Fuel Trucks Near Zaporizhzhia Plant
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Ukraine struck fuel trucks feeding Zaporizhzhia plant, Rosatom says, endangering facility Two Russian servicemen killed
9 outlets told this the same way.
Fuel truck strike near Zaporizhzhia
Russia’s state nuclear energy chief Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of attacking diesel fuel trucks near the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying the strikes took place on Friday and endangered safety at the plant. Likhachev said the attack “Two servicemen were killed, and a large number of Russian soldiers were injured, some seriously,” and he said the personnel were involved in supporting “this purely civilian mission.” The Reuters report said the Zaporizhzhia plant, described as Europe’s largest with six reactors, was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of the Ukraine war that broke out in February 2022.
Reuters added that diesel fuel is “critically important for the plant” because diesel generators provide power to keep nuclear fuel cool when the plant’s two external power links are down, noting both were down for nearly three weeks in August and September. The Reuters report also said the International Atomic Energy Agency has stationed an observer team permanently at the station, and that it last month helped arrange a local ceasefire to carry out repairs and restore external power links.
Competing narratives and mediation
In a separate account, TRT World echoed Likhachev’s claim that Ukrainian forces launched “a series of combined strikes” on Friday on fuel trucks delivering diesel to the station, and it repeated his warning that “The strikes hit very close to the perimeter of the station’s site.” TRT World also said the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, brokered a local ceasefire last month to allow repairs and restore external power, and it described the agency as stationed with an observer team permanently at the station. Reuters framed the dispute as a recurring pattern at Zaporizhzhia, saying each side has regularly accused the other of actions that endanger safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident.
Reuters reported that Ukraine has demanded that Russia abandon the station and hand its operation back to Kyiv, a demand rejected by Moscow. The Global Banking & Finance Review, citing Reuters, described a different strike near NATO territory, saying Russia attacked a truck near the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing point around 800 meters from Poland, briefly stopping the crossing point from working before it resumed operations.
What is at stake next
Beyond the immediate casualties that Likhachev attributed to the fuel-truck attack, Reuters said the Zaporizhzhia plant currently generates no electricity because the fuel “currently generates no electricity.” Reuters also said the plant’s external power links were down for nearly three weeks in August and September, and it described diesel generators as the mechanism providing power to keep nuclear fuel in the reactors cool when those links are unavailable. The Reuters report added that the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly acted as an intermediary when disputes arise, and that it last month helped arrange a local ceasefire in order to carry out repairs and restore external power links.
In the same Reuters-based reporting carried by Global Banking & Finance Review, Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had targeted infrastructure facilitating military cargoes from Europe in Western Ukraine, while Polish and Ukrainian officials said the truck strike near the border was the latest to hit areas near NATO. The Global Banking & Finance Review also reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin had been informed by Modi and Xi about offers to broker a peace settlement, and it said TASS cited Peskov as saying Russia had not ruled out resuming three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in October.