A Russian servicemember stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant [File: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters]

On My Mind Today:

We all know by now what fools Trump, who declared himself physically unfit for military life, and his comic-book warrior Hegseth made of themselves, dictating absolute ridiculous B.S. to the top U.S. generals stationed all around the world, taking them away from their dangerously real, and necessary, peace-keeping jobs.

No applause, no evident agreements, lots of annoyance, and nothing positive came from this showboat act by the most ridiculous and mindless U.S. president and his “military boy” in the entire history of the United States of America, imho.

There is no need to say more beyond these laugh-out-loud statements, so I will move on to the real world of life in the more serious “nuclear world” by taking an important look at the daily advancing scare of a possible nuclear reactor/plant meltdown regarding — for the 10th time — this self-same Russia/Ukraine situation rendering Europe’s larges nuclear power plant powerless from the loss of electricity (which oddly enough it was built to generate) and is running on emergency diesel fuel until the current loss of external power from normal power generation (the grid) until their power lines are restored. Russia says there is no problem; Ukraine and the rest of Europe are worried “half-to-death”, as they should be. ~llaw

Today’s Featured Story:

Navigation menu

• Russia-Ukraine war
• Can Ukraine restore its pre-war borders?
• Why are Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine a ‘red line’ for Russia?
• How Trump changed his position on Ukraine
• Is Russia testing NATO with aerial incursions in Europe?
• The battle for Donbas

News|Russia-Ukraine war

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says situation ‘critical’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Ukrainian leader says the plant has been without power for seven days, the longest stretch since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.

By Abby Rogers and News Agencies

Published On 30 Sep 202530 Sep 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is “critical” as the facility has been without power for seven days.

“It has been seven days now. There has never been anything like this before,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Tuesday.

One of the diesel generators providing emergency power to the plant is no longer working, Zelenskyy said, a week after external power lines went down.

“Russian shelling has cut the plant off from the electricity network,” the Ukrainian leader said.

“This is a threat to everyone. No terrorist in the world has ever dared to do with a nuclear power plant what Russia is doing now.”

The outage is the longest the Russian-occupied plant has gone without power since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

It is also the 10th time since the start of the war that the plant – the largest in Europe – has been disconnected from the power grid.

Russia seized control of Zaporizhzhia in the first weeks of the war, and the plant’s six reactors, which before the conflict produced about one-fifth of Ukraine’s electricity, were shut down after Moscow took over.

But the plant needs power to maintain cooling and safety systems, which prevent reactors from melting – a danger that could set off a nuclear incident.

Russian officials have not commented on the latest statements on conditions at the plant.

But Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster by attacking the site, and have traded blame over the latest blackout.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’s nuclear watchdog, earlier this week decried the cutoff of the external power lines but assigned no blame to either side.

In a statement on Tuesday, Grossi said he was engaging with officials from both countries to restore offsite power to Zaporizhzhia as soon as possible.

“I’m in constant contact with the two sides with the aim to enable the plant’s swift re-connection to the electricity grid,” the IAEA chief said.

“While the plant is currently coping thanks to its emergency diesel generators – the last line of defence – and there is no immediate danger as long as they keep working, it is clearly not a sustainable situation in terms of nuclear safety,” he added.

“Neither side would benefit from a nuclear accident.”

IAEA monitors are stationed permanently at Zaporizhzhia and at Ukraine’s three other nuclear power stations.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items

• list 1 of 3Ukrainian diver with alleged links to Nord Stream attack detained in Poland
• list 2 of 3Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,314
• list 3 of 3Heavy Russian drone attack kills at least four in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv

end of list

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s All Nuclear Daily Digest” & RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, including a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that also play an important role in the survival of human and other life.

The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA News (Friday’s only)

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS, Wednesday, (10/01/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Energy Secretary Wright on nuclear capacity: It’s going to be 2 or 3 years, not months

YouTube

The Hidden Truth About the US Energy Grid: Subsidies, Demand & Rising Prices – Chris Wright. All-In Podcast•174K views · 13:41 · Go to channel …

Protesters call on Hochul to drop plans for more nuclear plants in New York – WRVO

WRVO

Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. See stories by Ellen Abbott.

Will Hamas accept Trump’s peace plan? Former Mossad chief says it should – WQLN

WQLN

COHEN: I think that we do. I think that we have worked very tightly with the international law that is very well known to us, keeping everything that …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

DOE’s reactor pilot: A turning point for US nuclear energy? – Utility Dive

Utility Dive

The Department of Energy’s nuclear program could be transformational for the energy sector if even one reactor demonstrates commercial operation …

Zelenskyy sounds alarm over unprecedented power outage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The Guardian

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, said it was working with both sides to restore the external power …

Officials announce plans to add massive new feature to nuclear power plant – Yahoo

Yahoo

Nuclear power certainly fits that bill, as it produces no carbon emissions, provides constant and consistent energy, and operates in less space with …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Russia says external power needed for Ukraine nuclear plant cooled by emergency generators

Reuters

External power must be restored to the vast Soviet-built Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine which is being cooled by emergency …

Zelenskyy sounds alarm over unprecedented power outage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The Guardian

Rafael Grossi said there was no immediate danger as long as diesel generators remained in operation, providing emergency power for the facility.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says situation ‘critical’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

One of the diesel generators providing emergency power to the plant is … No terrorist in the world has ever dared to do with a nuclear power plant …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

The Role of Cyber Conflict in Nuclear Deterrence | Article | The United States Army

Army.mil

… threat of nuclear war (Lerner, 1964). The concept of mutually assured destruction is fundamental to deterrence and would seem as if it discourages …

Could China’s New Nuclear Weapons Signal a New Era of Arms Control? – The Equation

The Equation – Union of Concerned Scientists

… nuclear thinking. China’s acquisition of nuclear weapons was borne out of nuclear threats from the United States during the Korean War and the …

Updates: Trump, Hegseth meet top US military officers at Quantico – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

… threats at home, including what he sees as riots and unauthorised migration. … He reiterated his praise for the attack on Iran’s nuclear …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says situation ‘critical’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

Russia seized control of Zaporizhzhia in the first weeks of the war, and the plant’s six reactors, which before the conflict produced about one-fifth …

Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky warns of ‘emergency situation’ at nuclear power plant after …

The Independent

War in Ukraine is ‘unwinnable’ fight for Putin, says Keith Kellogg.

The Role of Cyber Conflict in Nuclear Deterrence | Article | The United States Army

Army.mil

… nuclear war (Lerner, 1964). The concept of mutually assured destruction is fundamental to deterrence and would seem as if it discourages any kind …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

“Hidden Magma Found Under Yellowstone”: New Imaging Reveals Explosive Reservoirs As …

Energy Reporters

Focus shifts to Yellowstone’s northeastern caldera, where a magma connection may increase eruption risks.

Diffusing the Yellowstone time bomb: Recent Montana State discoveries challenge sleeping …

Bozeman Daily Chronicle

What started as routine mapping has turned into a fundamental reexamination of the volcano’s behavior. In July 2025, MSU graduate students Liv Wheeler …

Water Flows Beneath Yellowstone National Park, Sometimes Taking Decades to Reach a Geyser

Discover Magazine

Most of this water is found along the volcanic plateau and in the margins of the Yellowstone Caldera. The groundwater in the Upper and Lower …