Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant could be on the brink of an “unacceptable” radiation leak amid “very alarming” military activity, the United Nations nuclear chief warned this week – as he called for an end to attacks on the plant.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to immediately allow nuclear experts to assess the safety of the sprawling Zaporizhia nuclear complex.
“These military actions near such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences,” Grossi told the UN Security Council, adding that “any nuclear disaster would be unacceptable.”
Addressing the council via video conference, Grossi said the attacks on the facility were “very alarming” and that the situation at the facility had reached a “difficult hour”.
The meeting was convened by Russia to discuss what Moscow calls Ukrainian attacks on the plant.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the attack on the power plant, which is Ukraine’s largest nuclear facility. Portal
Grossi pointed to shelling and multiple explosions in Zaporizhzhia last Friday that forced the shut down of the electric power transformer and two emergency transformers, which forced a nuclear reactor to shut down.
Last week, in an interview with the Associated Press, Grossi said the situation in Zaporizhia was “completely out of control.”
On Thursday, he called for a halt to military action at such an important facility “that has even the slightest potential to jeopardize nuclear safety.”
While a preliminary assessment by experts found “no immediate threat to nuclear safety” at the facility from the shelling and military action, “this could change at any time,” he warned.
The facility has been under Russian control since March but continues to be run by Ukrainian personnel. AFP via Getty Images
Grossi’s appeal echoed last Thursday’s call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for an end to all hostilities surrounding the Zaporizhia plant, warning that any damage could lead to “catastrophic consequences” nearby, in the region and beyond . He had previously described attacks on the facility as “suicidal.”
While the facility is controlled by Russian forces, its Ukrainian personnel continue to conduct nuclear operations. It is located in Enerhodar, a city captured by Russian troops in early March, shortly after they invaded Ukraine.
Kyiv has for weeks said it is planning a counteroffensive to retake Zaporizhia and neighboring Kherson provinces — most of the territory Russia seized after its February 24 invasion is still in Russian hands.
Grossi said statements from Russia and Ukraine are “often contradicted” and that the IAEA cannot confirm important facts unless its experts visit Zaporizhia.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Council that “Kiev’s criminal attacks on nuclear infrastructure are bringing the world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe”.
He accused Ukrainian forces of repeatedly using heavy artillery and multiple rocket systems to shell the Zaporizhia plant in recent days, including on Thursday.
“The background radiation in the nuclear power plant is currently limited, but if the strikes continue, it is only a matter of time,” warned Nebenzia. “We call on states that support the Kiev regime to keep their proxies in check to force them to stop the attacks immediately and once and for all.”
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya accused Russia of using “sophisticated schemes of deception, sabotage and cover-up” to stage the shelling of Zaporizhia, including on Thursday, which “posed an unprecedented threat to Ukraine’s nuclear security, Europe and the USA” represents the world as a whole.”
The Ukrainian state-owned company Enerhoatom, which operates the plant, said there was renewed Russian shelling on Thursday at the Zaporizhia plant and surrounding buildings.
Last week, Grossi warned that the situation at the plant was “completely out of control”. Getty Images
“Five (hits) were registered near the operations management office – right next to the welding site and storage for radiation sources,” Enerhoatom said in a post on its official Telegram channel. “The grass caught fire in a small area, but fortunately no one was hurt.”
The Ambassador of Ukraine told the council that the only way to eliminate the nuclear threat is to withdraw Russian troops and return the plant to Ukraine’s control.
Nebenzia said Russia supported an IAEA visit to Zaporizhia in June that received a last-minute “red light” from UN security experts. Moscow is ready to provide “any possible assistance” to resolve any issues for a visit “before the end of August,” he said.
Yevhen Balytskyy, the Kremlin-appointed interim head of the Zaporizhia region, said Thursday that the Russian-backed administration there stands ready to ensure the safety of any IAEA delegation sent to investigate the conditions.
He said in an interview on Russian state television that the Kremlin-backed authorities had prepared armored vehicles for the international envoys.
Blaming Russia’s “unjustified conditions” for the delay in sending IAEA experts to Zaporizhia, Kyslytsya said Ukraine stands ready to provide “all necessary assistance” to facilitate the nuclear team’s travels through Ukrainian-controlled territory , which is only five miles from the complex is the Dnieper.
Bonnie Jenkins, US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, described the situation in Zaporizhia as “another tragic outcome” of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She said the solution was simple: Russia should immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine so Ukrainians can “restore the impeccable security and protection performance it has maintained at the facility for decades.”
At the end of the council meeting, Grossi said there was “a common denominator” among the 15 members: “Everyone agrees that nuclear safety and security must be maintained. … And everyone believes that mission must take place.”
UN experts are calling on Russia and Ukraine to assess the damage to the nuclear power plant and make the necessary repairs. AP
“So it’s no longer a question of if, but only of when,” said the UN nuclear chief. “The when has to be as early as possible.”
In a statement, Guterres called for “common sense and common sense” to avoid any action “that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear power plant” and called for the withdrawal of all military personnel and equipment.
The Russian conquest of Zaporizhia renewed fears that reactors at the largest of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants could be damaged, sparking another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world’s worst nuclear disaster. This happened about 65 miles north of the capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Russia to return the work to Ukrainian control.
“Only a full Russian withdrawal … and the restoration of full Ukrainian control over the situation around the station can guarantee a resumption of nuclear security for all of Europe,” he said in a video address.
France joined Zelenskyy’s call, saying Russia’s occupation of the compound endangered the world.
“The presence and actions of Russian forces near the plant greatly increase the risk of an accident with potentially devastating consequences,” France’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the only way to ensure the site’s safety was for the Russians to withdraw from the region. Alexey Furman/Getty Images
At a conference in Copenhagen on Thursday, Zelenskyy told defense leaders that the consequences of a radiation accident in Zaporizhia “could be even more catastrophic than Chernobyl and essentially the same as Russia’s use of nuclear weapons, but without a nuclear strike.”
“If the Soviet authorities tried to hide the Chernobyl disaster and all its aftermath, the Russian authorities are much more cynical and dangerous,” he said. “They are doing everything themselves to maximize the risk of a nuclear catastrophe and lying to the whole world that someone else should be to blame.”
With post wires