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Zaparisia nuclear power plant in southeastern ukraine is europe's largest nuclear power station and one of the biggest in the world. Russian forces seized the plant back in early march, but in recent weeks it has been a target for sustained shelling. Fire damage to overhead power lines caused the remaining two operating reactors at the southern ukrane plant to shut down.

Last week, a team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The plant was seized by Russian forces in early May and has recently been the target of sustained shelling, increasing the risk of a nuclear disaster. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, who is leading the inspection team, has reported that the integrity of the plant has been violated several times. Ian Sample speaks to Prof Claire Corkhill about what this could mean for Zaporizhzhia, what the risks are if the plant loses external power, and how a nuclear meltdown can be avoided. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod