The head of Ukraine's Enerhoatom nuclear generating company says he is concerned that Russian forces still occupying Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant may "worsen the situation even further" after last week's destruction of the Kakhovka dam that jeopardized water supplies and put Europe's largest nuclear station in peril.
Petro Kotin, president of Enerhoatom, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on June 12 that the water level in the Kakhovka water reservoir has fallen to the so-called dead mark -- 13.3 meters -- where "technically it is no longer possible to secure water flow for the cooling pond at the nuclear power station."
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While the situation "is not dangerous," Kotin said the Russian forces remaining at the nuclear plant "can commit any other crime to worsen the situation even further, which is my main concern."
"The only way to reach complete security and safety at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is to de-occupy, demilitarize the facility, and hand it back under the control of its legitimate operator: Enerhoatom," Kotin added.
The dam, part of a major water system in Ukraine that provides fresh water, transportation, and irrigation for hundreds of thousands, was breached last week, flooding large swathes of land and forcing many from their homes amid Russia's war against Ukraine, which has accused Moscow of destroying the dam.
Russia has put the blame on Kyiv for the disaster.
The Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River also forms a reservoir that provides the cooling water for the nuclear power station located about 150 kilometers upstream. The plant's reactors have been shut down, but they still need water to keep them cool and prevent a nuclear disaster.
The dam has been under Russian control since the early days of the invasion.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director Rafael Grossi said earlier on June 12 that he is en route to Ukraine where he'll meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and present an assistance program for the "catastrophic" flooding sparked by the breach of the dam.
He said he's also heading to the Zaporizhzhya plant to assess the situation and to conduct a rotation of the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya "with a strengthened team" in the wake of the incident.