Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeast Ukraine are preparing to connect to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and are damaging it by reorienting its electricity production, Ukrainian operator Energoatom warned Tuesday.
It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and was occupied by Russia early in its invasion. Kyiv and Moscow blamed each other for attacks on the plant last week.
"The Russian military present at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are implementing the program of (Russian operator) Rosatom aimed at connecting the plant to the Crimean electricity grid," Energoatom president Petro Kotin told Ukrainian television.
"To do this, you must first damage the power lines of the plant connected to the Ukrainian energy system. From August 7 to 9, the Russians have already damaged three power lines. At the moment, the plant is operating with only one production line, which is an extremely dangerous way of working," he added.
"When the last production line is disconnected, the plant will be powered by generators running on diesel. Everything will then depend on their reliability and fuel stocks," Kotin warned.
Located not far from the Crimean peninsula, the plant has six of Ukraine's 15 reactors, capable of supplying power for four million homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday raised the spectre of nuclear disaster after strikes on the plant.
And UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that any attack on a nuclear plant would be "suicidal".
"I hope that those attacks will end, and at the same time I hope that the IAEA will be able to access the plant," he said Monday.
Recent fighting around the plant has prompted the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to warn of the "very real risk of a nuclear disaster".
Russian forces have also started installing an air defence system at Europe's largest nuclear power plant in occupied Ukraine Tuesday after shelling triggered safety fears.
"The power plant's air defence systems are being reinforced," the head of the Moscow-appointed military administration in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, Yevhen Balytskyi, told Russian state television.
The Zaporizhzhia plant is currently operating normally and power lines and damaged reactor units have been repaired, Balytskyi said.
The nuclear plant, which is under Russian control, has been shelled several times in recent days, sparking international concern about the safety of the facilities.
Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for the attacks.
Russia suggested it may support a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitors to the plant.
"From our side, we are ready to provide the maximum possible assistance to resolve organizational issues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Defence intelligence update also said Russian attacks were continuing in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Ukrainian media reported Kyiv received 50 military transport vehicles from Türkiye with another 150 to follow.
Türkiye maintains close relations with both Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine relies heavily on international military assistance to fend off Russian attacks, and its main arms supplier is the US.
Moscow also accused the United Nations of cancelling an inspection trip that was already planned.
Russia has requested a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday afternoon in New York to discuss the situation at the nuclear power station.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said there is "no immediate threat to nuclear safety" as a result of Saturday's shelling, after experts assessed information provided by Ukraine.
He said the Ukrainian authorities informed the IAEA there was damage but that radiation measurements were still at normal levels.
Meanwhile, Russian reports indicated one person died in explosions on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, a region annexed by Russia in 2014.
The cause of the explosions was initially unclear and the Kyiv government did not claim responsibility, though the New York Times reported that the Ukrainian army attacked the key Russian air base there with an undisclosed weapon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address that the conflict with Russia "must end with Crimea - with its liberation."
"The Black Sea region cannot be safe as long as Crimea is occupied," he said.
"There will be no stable and lasting peace in many countries on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea as long as Russia is able to use our peninsula as its military base," Zelensky said.
British military experts said Russian troops were focusing on repelling a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the country's south.
The US State Department on Tuesday announced plans to provide $89 million in funding to help Ukraine address "urgent humanitarian challenges posed by explosive remnants of war created by Russia's brutal war of aggression," including landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices.
The plans include deploying around 100 demining teams and supporting a training and equipping project to strengthen the Ukrainian government's demining and explosive disposal capacity.
