The UK has warned that the margin for error at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is shrinking, according to a statement delivered to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on 11 September 2026. The statement highlighted a continued erosion of nuclear safety defences at the plant.
The ZNPP has experienced 26 losses of off-site power since the conflict began, with ten of these events occurring in the last three months. This period accounts for more than one-third of all such incidents recorded during the conflict.
Concerns were also raised about the degradation of systems for detecting and responding to a nuclear emergency. The UK noted that at the start of the reporting period, over two-thirds of off-site radiation monitoring stations around ZNPP were transmitting data, but by mid-July, fewer than one-third were operational. This increases the risk of delayed detection, understanding, and response to a potential nuclear emergency.
The UK commended the IAEA's efforts, including brokering a recent ceasefire to restore off-site power to ZNPP, but stressed that nuclear facilities should not rely on temporary ceasefires or emergency diesel generators for essential repairs and safety. The UK stated that Russia created and sustains this risk, calling for its withdrawal from ZNPP and the plant's return to Ukrainian control.