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Pro-Russian authorities in Zaporizhzhia show photo of breached roof over nuclear fuel storage at ZNPP

The Insider

Vladimir Rogov, the head of the Russia-appointed administration of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, has shared a photo of the breached protective cover over Special Building No. 1 at the Zaporizhzhia NPP on his Telegram channel.

According to Rogov, this is where fresh fuel for the facility's reactors is stored. A Russian appointee, Rogov insists the missile was Ukrainian. Ukraine has refrained from comment.

On August 29, a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set out for the ZNPP, as head of IAEA Rafael Grossi tweeted, adding a photo of the mission crew. The international experts will arrive at the facility this week, Grossi wrote.

On August 25, the Zaporizhzhia NPP was fully disconnected from the electrical grid for the first time in history and switched to emergency generators and power supply from the Zaporizhzhia CHP. As energy experts explained to The Insider, without an emergency power supply, a sudden blackout at the NPP could result in a core meltdown. According to nuclear physicist Andrey Ozharsky, Russian authorities could use the disconnection of the NPP from the Ukrainian grid as a pretext for its redirection to Crimea. However, this would require restoring power transmission lines toward Crimea and Russia and synchronizing its generators with the Russian grid.

On the same day, CNN released satellite images by Planet Labs and the European Space Agency showing fires and smoke near the Zaporizhzhia NPP.