Fears grow for Ukraine nuke plant ahead of inspector report

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Fears grew Tuesday for Europe's largest nuclear power plant as shelling around it continued, a day after the facility was again knocked off Ukraine's electricity grid and put in the precarious position of relying on its own power to run safety systems.

Repeated warnings from world leaders that fighting around the Zaporizhzhia plant has put it in an untenable situation that could lead to a nuclear catastrophe have done little to stem the hostilities. Russian-installed officials accused the Ukrainian forces of shelling the city where the plant is located on Tuesday, hours after the Ukrainians said Kremlin forces attacked a city across the river.

Both sides have traded such accusations since Russian troops seized the plant early in the war. With the danger rising, an International Atomic Energy Agency team finally traveled to the plant last week, and inspectors are expected to report what they found to the U.N. Security Council later in the day.

Two inspectors remain at the plant, which is run by Ukrainians workers, and Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak applauded that decision.

“There are Russian troops now who don’t understand what’s happening, don’t assess the risks correctly,” Podolyak said. “There is a number of our workers there, who need some kind of protection, people from the international community standing by their side and telling (Russian troops): ‘Don’t touch these people, let them work.’”

But that appears to have done little to lessen the risks. On Monday, the IAEA said Ukrainian authorities reported that the plant’s last transmission line was disconnected to allow workers to put out a fire caused by shelling.

“The line itself is not damaged, and it will be reconnected once the fire is extinguished,” the IAEA said.

In...