Berlin The inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have arrived in Zaporizhia, Ukraine – about 70 kilometers from the nuclear power plant of the same name. Under the direction of IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, they want to check whether the operation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is safe.
Zaporizhia has been occupied by Russian troops since March but is still run by Ukrainian professionals. The IAEA experts want to examine the damage and safety systems of the six reactor blocks on site because the information from Kyiv and Moscow is contradictory.
It is also about the repeated shelling of the area, which Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of, and the resulting danger of a nuclear accident. The bombings in the vicinity and partly on the site of the nuclear power plant are fueling fears worldwide that 36 years after the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, another nuclear catastrophe could occur in Ukraine.
Most recently, EU countries announced a donation of five million potassium iodide tablets to Ukraine as a preventive measure to protect people near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Germany would be responsible for the delivery, said a spokesman for the EU Commission on Tuesday.
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Last Friday, Ukraine asked the EU to support them with iodine tablets. The tablets are to be used in the event that radioactivity escapes from the nuclear power plant. This is to prevent inhaled or swallowed radioactive iodine from settling in the thyroid gland. In addition to the donation from the EU reserves of five million tablets, another 500,000 come from Austria.
At the beginning of the week, Ukraine again accused the Russian military of using the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant as a protective shield and attacking nearby targets from there. One person died and five were injured in Nikopol on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River.
In the southeastern city of Enerhodar, on the outskirts of which the nuclear power plant is located, the city’s Ukrainian mayor, Dmytro Orlov, blamed the Russian shelling for the injuries of at least 10 residents.
Nuclear energy experts travel to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Moscow, on the other hand, called on the international community to persuade Ukraine to reduce military tensions around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. This puts Kyiv in jeopardy for all of Europe, says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
IAEA experts on the ground – Some could stay permanently
The Russian occupation administration in the city of Enerhodar recently reported that a Ukrainian drone was shot down. This had fallen on the containment shell over a reactor, detonated, but had caused no damage. The information could not be independently verified. The Russian side implied that the drone was intended to attack a spent fuel storage facility.
According to the Russian government, the delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency consists of 15 nuclear power experts. These would be accompanied by a large United Nations logistics and security team.
Some of them could apparently remain in place in the long term. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative to the international organizations in Vienna, said: “As we understand it, the intention of the Director-General (of the IAEA) is to keep a few people at the power plant on a permanent basis.”
The mission has been planned for weeks, but failed because the warring parties were unable to agree on the route to travel and the safe conduct of the experts. Now Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured: “Russia is open to cooperation.”
>> Read here: Nuclear power plant Zaporizhia – The fear of a nuclear catastrophe is growing
It is also about dispelling global concerns. Moscow hopes “that the IAEA mission’s visit to the power plant will help dispel the countless speculations about the bad situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” Ulyanov said. Kremlin spokesman Peskov also announced that Russia would guarantee the mission the necessary security in Russian-occupied territory.
At the same time, he again rejected the demand for a demilitarized zone around the power plant in south-eastern Ukraine. The United Nations, the USA, the EU and 42 other countries are pushing for this. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that otherwise there would be a nuclear catastrophe.
The six reactor blocks are located directly at the front
The location of the nuclear power plant is precarious because the city of Enerhodar in the south-east of the country is very close to the front line. The city of the same name, Zaporizhia, is located a few kilometers northeast of it in an area that has not yet been taken by Russian troops.
The experts responsible for nuclear safety in the G7 state union demanded that the IAEA mission have timely and safe access to the nuclear infrastructure in Ukraine and be able to work without pressure or interference. It is imperative that Ukrainian sovereignty be respected.
In addition to Germany and the USA, the G7 countries that want to support the inspection both technically and financially include Great Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.
A G7 statement said: “We reiterate that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and the energy it produces belong to Ukraine and stress that any attempts by Russia to disconnect the power plant from Ukraine’s power grid are unacceptable.” Russian occupation increases the risk of a nuclear accident and endangers the population of Ukraine, neighboring countries and the international community.
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