Russia limiting communications at nuclear facility, watchdog says
Ukrainian staff continue to operate the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, however, it is now under Russian control and they have shut down some external communication to the plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday. The power plant, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was taken over Friday by Russian forces after shelling led to a fire at one of the training facilities.
According to the IAEA, Russian forces at the site "have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication." Ukraine also reports that all Ukrainian activity at the plant, "including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units," must now be approved by the Russian commander at the plant.
Russian forces have also taken control of a second nuclear power plant and are closing in on a third, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the U.S. Congress on Saturday.
Ukraine ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the international community should step in and help Ukraine regain control of the nuclear sites from Russia. Markarova noted that the first nuclear plant the Russians seized was the infamous Chernobyl plant, which is "not operational," but still poses a risk because "there is a lot of waste there and everything else."
"The second one's operation is the largest one in Europe. So actually, that put the world on the brink of the nuclear disaster," she added. "And even though, again, our firefighters were able to put down the fire, nobody is safe. Ukraine is not safe. Europe is not safe. Because these stations are not supposed to be run by war criminals."
The fire at the power plant was extinguished and no damage was done to any of the reactors. No elevated levels of radiation were detected following the attack. Russia has denied deliberately shelling the nuclear plant.
Markarova said Sunday that Ukraine is "ready for any option" to take back the power plants, even suggesting that a no-fly zone be established — something Zelensky has asked for on several occasions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would consider any nation that imposes a no-fly zone to be a participant in the war. NATO had previously said that creating a no-fly zone could lead to a larger war in Europe, and Senator Marco Rubio told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that, "basically a no-fly zone, if people understand what it means, it means World War III."
Despite the ongoing Russian assault, a senior U.S. defense official said Sunday that the Pentagon believes Ukrainians in most parts of the country still have internet access and most means of communication are still available. The official said that Russia has now committed roughly 95% of the forces it had gathered along the border inside Ukraine.
Still, there were few changes on the ground in the last 24 hours, the official said. A Russian military convoy seen in Maxar satellite imagery continues to be stalled and "leading elements" are still outside the major city centers, although exact distances were not given.
The official added that, while both sides have "taken losses to both aircraft and missile defense inventories," Ukraine and Russia still have the "majority of their air defense systems and capabilities."
Margaret Brennan and Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
