Russian Fears of Rising Water Levels Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

A Russian official told the TASS news agency yesterday that record-high water levels could flood a major dam in southern Ukraine and damage parts of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant controlled by Russia. Rinat Kartcha, an advisor to the general director of the Russian nuclear energy company Rosenergoatom, warned that if the Nova Kakhovka dam were to rupture, "it would lead to technical issues for plant operations and risks to nuclear safety." Kartcha's remarks represent a stark contrast to those made by Ukrainian officials in late March, when they expressed concerns that the Zaporizhzhia plant might face a water shortage for reactor cooling by late summer due to Russian forces draining water from the reservoir that supplies the plant.