Zelenskiy says crisis averted as Russian-held Ukraine nuclear plant regains power

People stand next to a residential house destroyed by a Russian military strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Chaplyne, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine August 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dmytro Smolienko

KYIV (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the world narrowly avoided a radiation disaster on Thursday as the last regular line supplying electricity to Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was restored hours after being cut.

Zelenskiy blamed shelling by Russia's military for fires in the ash pits of a nearby coal power station that disconnected the reactor complex, Europe's largest such facility, from the power grid. He said back-up diesel generators had started to ensure power supply and keep the plant safe.