• Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been without power for over a week.
• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy describes the situation as "critical."
• Backup diesel generators are currently in use to cool inactive reactors.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly warned that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has reached a "critical" point, as it has been off the grid for over a week, marking the longest outage since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. One of the emergency diesel generators supplying power has malfunctioned, while continued Russian shelling has obstructed efforts to restore power lines, according to TRT Global and Reuters.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy emphasized that nuclear safety is at severe risk, stating, "This is a threat to absolutely everyone," given that no nuclear facility's backup systems are designed for extended use. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which can no longer supply power to the grid, still needs electricity to cool its six inactive reactors and spent fuel, as highlighted by Al Jazeera and LA Times.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been communicating with officials from both Ukraine and Russia in an effort to restore external power to the site, stressing that a stable power supply is crucial for nuclear safety. Despite the current stability, Grossi has characterized the situation as "not a sustainable" one, as reliance on backup generators represents a significant risk, according to South China Morning Post and TRT Global.

Ukraine continues to accuse Russia of sabotaging power restoration efforts through artillery shelling, while Russia maintains that sufficient backup power remains for the time being. However, the IAEA reported that systems are in place to ensure cooling but that any failure of these generators could escalate the risk rapidly. This precarious situation evokes memories of the Chernobyl disaster and underscores the urgent need for international intervention, as documented by Reuters and AA.