KOZELETS, Ukraine — As basic survival grows increasingly precarious, civilian evacuation efforts resumed Wednesday in Ukrainian cities battered by a Russian assault that shows no let-up after two weeks of relentless bombardment.
At the same time, Ukrainian officials said the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant — the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, in 1986 — had lost access to the power grid, forcing it to rely on backup generators. Authorities called for a halt to fighting in the area, which is under Russian control, to allow for repairs, lest the plant suffer a catastrophic interruption to the cooling of radioactive material.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed of the loss of electricity but saw “no critical impact on safety.” Utility company Ukrenergo said “military actions” meant there was currently “no possibility to restore” the plant’s connection to the grid. The company said the nearby town of Slavutych was also out of power.
