Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Lost Communications for 12 Hours as Nearby Military Activity Intensified
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Independent · May 28
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Lost Communications for 12 Hours as Nearby Military Activity Intensified
7 articles · Updated · Kyiv Independent · May 28
A 12-hour loss of landline and internet links on May 27 left the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant unable to communicate with the outside world in its longest such outage since Russia's 2022 invasion.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the cause was not immediately clear, but the blackout coincided with reported attacks on Russian-occupied Enerhodar, where most plant workers live.
The outage breached one of the IAEA's seven wartime nuclear-safety principles, which requires reliable communications between nuclear facilities, regulators and outside authorities.
IAEA teams had already reported a significant rise in drone activity near several Ukrainian nuclear plants this month, warning that even without direct damage it raises nuclear safety and security risks.
Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian military occupation since 2022, keeping the site a persistent flashpoint in the war.
With nuclear norms eroding, are communication blackouts at power plants the new normal in modern great-power conflicts?
Beyond restoring communication, how can the world address the danger of a nuclear plant run by an occupying army?
Was the Zaporizhzhia blackout a physical attack or a preview of cyber warfare against the world's critical infrastructure?