Russia’s Defense Ministry Says It May Shut Down Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant If Shelling Continues

A serviceman with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Aug. 4, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

MOSCOW—Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine may be shut down if Ukrainian forces continue shelling the facility, something Kyiv has denied doing.

In a briefing, Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defense forces, said the plant’s back-up support systems had been damaged as a result of shelling. Kirillov said that in the event of an accident at the plant, radioactive material would cover Germany, Poland, and Slovakia.