Ukraine says its nuclear plant’s last working reactor is now disconnected

Ukraine’s embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’s last working reactor has been switched off from the grid, says Ukraine’s power plants operator.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — Europe’s largest nuclear facility — was shelled in recent weeks, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks, raising concerns of a possible incident.

“Power unit (reactor) No. 6 was unloaded and disconnected from the grid” because of a fire that was “triggered because of shelling,” Energoatom state-run company says in its statement.

“The world is once again on the brink of a nuclear disaster. The de-occupation of the ZNPP and the creation of a demilitarized zone around it is the only way to ensure nuclear safety,” Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko says following the news.

This was the last working reactor out of six, after shelling disconnected reactor no.5 on Saturday, according to a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

EU high representative and vice president Josep Borrell says the news is “worrisome.”