Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant as “out of control”.
As he stated, in an interview on Tuesday (02/08) with the Associated Press, “the situation is becoming more and more dangerous every day at the power plant in the southeastern city” which the Russian troops took over in early March, shortly after invading Ukraine on February 24.
The UN nuclear chief warned that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine “is completely out of control” and made an urgent appeal to Russia and Ukraine to quickly allow experts to visit the sprawling complex to stabilize the situation and avoid a nuclear accident.
“Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated” at the plant, he said. “What is at stake is extremely serious and dangerous”, citing multiple security breaches at the plant, adding that it is located “in a place where active warfare is going on”, near territory controlled by Russia.
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The physical integrity of the plant was not respected, he said, citing shelling at the start of the war when it was seized amid persistent reports from Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of attacks in Zaporizhia.
There is “a paradoxical situation in which the plant is controlled by Russia, but Ukrainian personnel continue to carry out their work, leading to inevitable moments of friction and alleged violence”, he said, explaining that although the International Atomic Energy Agency has some contacts with staff, these are “flawed and ineffective”.
