Ukraine says power restored to Chernobyl facility

Ukraine's atomic energy ministry on Sunday said power had been restored to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which meant cooling systems would operate normally and not have to use backup power.

The ministry made the announcement in an online post. Ukraine had earlier warned of an increased risk of a radiation leak if a high-voltage power line to the plant were not repaired. It had been damaged in fighting and power had been cut at the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster on Wednesday.

The plant "was fully disconnected from the power grid," Ukraine's energy operator Ukrenergo said in a statement on its Facebook page, adding that military operations meant "there is no possibility to restore the lines."

However, UN atomic watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that while the development "violates [a] key safety pillar," in this case it saw "no critical impact on safety." — Reuters