On Friday, February 27th, the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a partial ceasefire to allow for maintenance on backup power lines at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a brief statement on Friday, stating that a ceasefire agreement has been reached in southern Ukraine to restore the 330-kilovolt power line supplying Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi mentioned on social media, “Demining work is underway to ensure safe passage for the repair teams.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency credited their assistance for the agreement on the partial ceasefire. This ceasefire agreement comes on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the invasion, the Russian military has maintained control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for the initial weeks.
Located in southeastern Ukraine, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear facility in Ukraine with 6 out of the country’s 15 operational nuclear reactors. Recently, the plant has relied on external power to sustain all necessary nuclear safety functions.
Both sides have accused each other of increasing the risk of a catastrophic incident by launching attacks near the nuclear plant.
According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy corporation, stated on Friday that IAEA experts have been deployed to the plant to oversee the repair of the disconnected power lines.
As of the deadline, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not issued any comments on the matter.
Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was running on its last power line. This was a result of military activities near the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant’s substation.
Analysts from the War Studies Think Tank stated on Tuesday, the 24th, that the start of the fifth year of the Russia-Ukraine war was unfavorable for President Putin, noting that the Ukrainian military recently made significant progress on the battlefield, the most substantial since the country invaded Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August 2024.