Nuclear safety at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia (southeast) is in an “unreliable state,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Raphael Grossi warned in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the organization, the “last emergency power line” of the plant, damaged since March 1, remains “disconnected and under repair.” However, it allows it as a last resort to ensure nuclear safety and security, including by cooling its reactors.

The plant had relied on power from a single 750kV main external line for three weeks and “any damage (to this line) would result in a total loss of the plant’s external power supply”.

“Nuclear security inside (the station) remains in a precarious state,” Grossi said. “We again call on all parties to commit to ensuring nuclear safety and protecting the safety of the station.”

On March 9, a giant factory occupied by the Russian military was disconnected from the Ukrainian electricity grid for 11 hours after a Russian strike.

Emergency diesel generators have been switched on to ensure minimum provision of safety systems, according to Energoatom, which warned of the threat of a nuclear accident.

“We are playing with fire,” Grossi warned.

EU High Representative Josep Borel agreed, saying: “This is a serious breach of nuclear safety caused by Russia (…) The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. And Russia endangers the security of the entire European continent, including Russia.”

Without the electricity produced by these generators, overheating of the reactor fuel could quickly cause a nuclear accident in a scenario identical to the one at Fukushima in Japan in 2011.