Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Goes Dark for 12 Hours — Here's What Really Happened | APT

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:03]A major nuclear facility in an active war zone just lost contact with the outside world for nearly half a day.

[00:00:10]Raising renewed concerns over nuclear safety, the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported a significant communications blackout at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

[00:00:22]According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the facility lost both landline and internet connectivity for around 12 hours on May 27th.

[00:00:30]The agency described it as the longest such outage at the plant since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

[00:00:37]IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the disruption temporarily severed contact with agency experts stationed at the site and cut off the plant's communication with the outside world.

[00:00:50]>> For many hours, we were unable to contact our team of experts at the site, and the plant was unable to communicate with the outside world in the usual way.

[00:00:58]This was clearly a very concerning event in terms of nuclear safety and security.

[00:01:04]>> The outage coincided with reports of intensified military activity in and around the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, where most plant employees live.

[00:01:13]While the exact cause has not been confirmed, the timing has heightened concern about the security environment surrounding the facility.

[00:01:20]Besides the communication blackout, multiple reports noted incidents of attacks in Enerhodar around the same period.

[00:01:27]Separately, Ukrainian National News reported additional security-related incidents, including drone strikes in Enerhodar and the destruction of a Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant service vehicle.

[00:01:39]The outlet also noted that fuel deliveries for the plant's auxiliary systems were temporarily suspended due to security risks.

[00:01:47]The IAEA has also warned that the external power supply to the plant remains extremely fragile.

[00:01:53]The facility is currently dependent on a single remaining power line after earlier damage to a 750 kilovolt connection.

[00:02:01]Meanwhile, Grossi stated that the agency continues to engage with both Ukrainian and Russian authorities in efforts to enable repairs and strengthen nuclear safety conditions.

[00:02:11]The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, has remained under Russian military control since 2022 and continues to operate under unstable and highly constrained conditions.

[00:02:23]While there's no indication of a radiation leak or reactor damage, the combination of communication loss, military activity, and fragile power supply continues to raise concerns.

[00:02:34]As Grossi put it, this was a very concerning event in terms of nuclear safety and security.

[00:02:41]And at Zaporizhzhia, even short disruptions can carry global consequences.