Russia and Ukraine on Friday agreed to a localized ceasefire to allow repairs on the last remaining backup power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday.
Work on the line, which was damaged and disconnected as a result of military activity on Jan. 2, should start “in the coming days,” the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement.
“This temporary ceasefire, the fourth we have negotiated, demonstrates the indispensable role that we continue to play,” said IAEA director general Rafael Grossi.
The Vienna-based organization said its team at the site heard “a large number of explosions, including some within the vicinity of the site.”
“The team… has reported multiple air raid alarms each day over the past week and was informed that a military flying object had been observed approximately 10 kilometers [six miles] from the site,” it added.
Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022.
Situated on the Dnieper River, its six reactors have been shut down since the occupation. But the site still needs electricity to maintain its cooling and security systems.
Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe by attacking the site.
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