Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, has been disconnected from the power grid, according to Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Energoatom.
Fears of a nuclear catastrophe are now spreading across the continent as all six reactors at the plant have been disconnected for the first time ever.
Experts have previously warned that a loss of power to the plant could have devastating effects on much of Europe.
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However, the mayor of the surrounding town of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov, said on Thursday that as of 2.30pm, radiation levels in the area were normal.
He urged people not to take the radiation-absorbing drug potassium iodide as there was currently no need.
Russian media has reported the safety systems at the plant were activated Thursday following reports of blackouts across the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
The safety systems are in place to prevent accidents and the leakage of radioactive materials.
The plant was reportedly disconnected from the power grid after nearby fires damaged overhead power lines.
Energoatom said in a statement: "As a result, the station's two working power units were disconnected from the network."
It said the plant's security systems were working normally, and work was underway to reconnect one of the reactor blocks to the power grid.
An unnamed source told Reuters Soviet-era diesel generators were powering the two reactors.
The source added that each unit, which includes a reactor, a cooling system and other equipment, has three Soviet-era diesel generators that "are not able to work for weeks."
A loss of power to the cooling system at a nuclear power plant could lead to disaster.
For example, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster occurred due to a steam explosion caused by a cooling system failure. Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station is much larger than Chernobyl.
Olga Kosharna, an expert in nuclear energy and nuclear safety who previously worked at the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ukraine, claims to have sources on the ground at Zaporizhzhia.
She previously warned Express.co.uk that a "severe" accident such as a reactor meltdown could affect huge areas of the EU within "hours", including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, among other nations. A radioactive plume could reach as far as Turkey.
Russia has held control of the power plant since early March, Ukraine has accused Moscow of using the plant as a type of shield from which to launch attacks.
Earlier today, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) released satellite imagery which appeared to show Russian equipment, including armoured personnel carriers, parked just 60 metres from reactor five at the nuclear plant.
It said: "Russia is probably prepared to exploit any Ukrainian military activity near ZNPP for propaganda purposes.
"While Russia maintains the military occupation of ZNPP, the principal risks to reactor operations are likely to remain disruption to the reactors' cooling systems, damage to its backup power supply, or errors by workers operating under pressure."
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