Zaporizhzhia power station, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, has become a symbol of the wider dangers posed by a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, with both Kyiv and Moscow suggesting the other is putting the continent at risk from a radiological disaster.
The plant, which was seized by Russian forces soon after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has been a focus of military activity, with the constant threat of damage from shelling and missile strikes, as well as uncertainties over electricity supplies and staffing.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said this week that it had found landmines at the site, the discovery following accusations by Ukraine that Russia had placed explosives on the roof of Zaporizhzhia’s reactors. In June the destruction of the Kakhovka dam raised concerns about the plant’s source of cooling water.