Ukrainian operator Energotem warned on Tuesday that the Russian military, which holds the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye, is preparing to connect it to Crimea, a peninsula seized by Moscow in 2014, and destroy it by rescheduling power generation. “The Russian military at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is implementing (Russian operator) Rosatom’s program aimed at connecting the plant to Crimean electricity networks,” Energoatom president Petro Kotin told television.

“To do this, you must first damage the plant’s power lines, which are connected to the Ukrainian energy system. The Russians have already damaged three power lines between August 7 and 9. Now, the plant is running on a single production line, which is a very risky mode of operation,” he added. “When the final production line is decommissioned, the plant will be powered by diesel-powered generators. Everything will depend on their reliability and fuel stock,” warned Petro Kotin.