News Feed

Russian official visits Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

1 min read

Sergey Kiriyenko, deputy chief of staff of Putin's administration, visited the Russian-occupied site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on July 6, the plant's press service announced on Telegram.

Yevgeny Balitsky, governor of Zaporizhzhia's occupied territory, joined Kiriyenko on his visit to the plant. The two officials also visited facilities in the city of Enerhodar.

According to the plant's press service, which serves as a mouthpiece for occupying Russian forces, the officials were there to verify that operations at the plant are proceeding normally and reported no safety violations. The men also posed for photos at the site.

The visit takes place amid heightened tensions at the plant, with Ukrainian armed forces reporting the possibility of an imminent Russian terrorist attack and evidence of explosives placed on the rooftops of some of the plant's power units.  

While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not found evidence of explosives during  inspections, the agency was not granted full access to the occupied plant's facilities.

Kiriyenko's visit occurred amid Moscow's propaganda claims that the Ukrainian military plans to somehow strike the plant, and one month after Russian forces blew up the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains under full control of the Russian military.

Avatar
Abbey Fenbert

Senior News Editor

Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.

Read more
News Feed
 (Updated:  )

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Cyprus to meet his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, and top EU officials, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said on Jan. 7.

Video

The Kyiv Independent’s Jared Goyette speaks with foreign policy analyst Ivan Fechko about Venezuela’s political crisis following the U.S. attack and kidnapping of dictator Nicolás Maduro — and why it marks a major strategic setback for Russia in Latin America and globally.

Show More