Ukraine warns that Chernobyl may be 48 hours away from a radiation leak after a power outage, making it impossible to cool spent nuclear fuel.
State nuclear power company Energoatom said it could not cool spent nuclear fuel.
It was impossible to repair the connection and restore the power.
Russia took control of the defunct atomic station on the first day of the invasion.
Ukraine said Chernobyl could be within 48 hours of the radiation leak and called on Russia to adhere to an urgent ceasefire to allow for repairs.
The country's nuclear power company Energoatom warned earlier that radioactive material could be released if the site's power outages last longer, as it makes it impossible to cool spent nuclear fuel.
Russian forces captured the factory and cut off the electricity in the early days of the invasion. Factory repairs have not been possible since then.
The French government said it was in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency and urged Russia to cooperate.
"The standby diesel generators have a capacity of 48 hours to operate the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a warning on Twitter.
Russian tanks and armored vehicles parked in front of the destroyed reactor in the beaten Chernobyl exclusion zone.
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