Ukrainian nuclear plant’s longest stretch on backup power raises alarm

KYIV, Ukraine — More than a week after the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost external power because of shelling, the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear plant is now critical, government officials and energy watchdogs say, with the facility running off emergency diesel generators.

Ukraine says shelling by Russia caused the crisis, while Russia blames Ukraine. The plant is near the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces. President Donald Trump has previously expressed interest in the United States taking over the facility.

What is clear is that the situation at the plant - seized by Moscow in 2022 and under Russian occupation — is increasingly tenuous. Officials say it has been operating off the grid since the afternoon of Sept. 23, when the last remaining power line to the