The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been disconnected from the electricity grid again after Russian shelling damaged the last two high-voltage lines to the reactors. For cooling the units, operators rely on 20 diesel generators, which have fuel for no more than 15 days, the Ukrainian nuclear company "Energoatom" reported, quoted by Reuters. Energoatom called on the world community to assist in the demilitarization of the plant and the removal of the Russian occupiers before the critical deadline for overcoming a possible accident has passed. The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, said that the occupiers had prevented a terrorist attempt at the plant, TASS reports.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu accused Western countries of encouraging the escalation of the war in Ukraine, of aiming to destroy Russia's economy and military potential and deprive it of an independent foreign policy. Shoigu pointed out that since February, the number of NATO troops on the eastern flank has increased to 30,000 people. "New multinational battalion tactical groups are being created in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia," he said and accused the West of ignoring "nuclear blackmail by Ukraine”.