IAEA says nuclear inspectors took cover during Ukrainian drone strikes
The UN nuclear watchdog reported that its monitors continue to detect explosions in the vicinity of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Agency monitors have continuously reported hearing explosions in the vicinity of the Zaporozhye Atomic Power Plant, according to the UN watchdog.
Drone threats have disrupted the work of UN inspectors at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in Russia on at least two occasions over the last ten days, as stated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement released on Thursday, the agency revealed that Rafael Grossi, the director general, will visit the facility for the fifth time next week since the onset of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022.
Members of the IAEA’s permanent mission, established at the Zaporozhye nuclear facility in September 2022, have “continued to hear explosions and other indications of military activities, at times near the plant itself,” the agency noted.
"Due to reported drone threats in the area, the team was told to shelter indoors on August 20 and had to reschedule their planned walkdown on August 26,” the IAEA remarked.
Under Russian control since March 2022, the Zaporozhye nuclear plant is the largest of its kind in Europe. Throughout the conflict, both Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of shelling the facility, with the Russian Defense Ministry claiming that multiple attempts by Ukrainian forces to reclaim it have been thwarted.
In the fall of 2022, the Zaporozhye Region was officially annexed to Russia, alongside Kherson Region and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
Since Grossi's last visit to the Zaporozhye plant in February of this year, the IAEA reports that the facility “has been hit by drone strikes, experienced loss of power lines and, earlier this month, a fire caused significant damage to one of its two cooling towers.”
“These recent deeply concerning incidents make all too clear, the nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant remains extremely challenging,” commented the IAEA chief.
"A nuclear accident must be avoided at all costs, and a nuclear power plant must never be attacked. The consequences could be disastrous, and no one stands to benefit from it,” he stressed.
On Monday, Grossi visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia, located near the area where Ukraine carried out a large-scale incursion into internationally recognized Russian territory in early August. He emphasized that the fighting near the plant poses a risk of a “nuclear incident.”
Russian officials have previously accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the Kursk nuclear facility with drones, with one reportedly crashing near the plant’s spent fuel storage the previous week.
Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, stated on Wednesday that the West's refusal to hold Ukraine accountable for attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant has encouraged Kiev to target the Kursk NPP similarly. He asserted that this impunity “potentially could trigger a nuclear incident with tragic consequences for the whole of Europe.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Drone threats have disrupted the work of UN inspectors at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in Russia on at least two occasions over the last ten days, as stated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement released on Thursday, the agency revealed that Rafael Grossi, the director general, will visit the facility for the fifth time next week since the onset of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022.
Members of the IAEA’s permanent mission, established at the Zaporozhye nuclear facility in September 2022, have “continued to hear explosions and other indications of military activities, at times near the plant itself,” the agency noted.
"Due to reported drone threats in the area, the team was told to shelter indoors on August 20 and had to reschedule their planned walkdown on August 26,” the IAEA remarked.
Under Russian control since March 2022, the Zaporozhye nuclear plant is the largest of its kind in Europe. Throughout the conflict, both Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of shelling the facility, with the Russian Defense Ministry claiming that multiple attempts by Ukrainian forces to reclaim it have been thwarted.
In the fall of 2022, the Zaporozhye Region was officially annexed to Russia, alongside Kherson Region and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
Since Grossi's last visit to the Zaporozhye plant in February of this year, the IAEA reports that the facility “has been hit by drone strikes, experienced loss of power lines and, earlier this month, a fire caused significant damage to one of its two cooling towers.”
“These recent deeply concerning incidents make all too clear, the nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant remains extremely challenging,” commented the IAEA chief.
"A nuclear accident must be avoided at all costs, and a nuclear power plant must never be attacked. The consequences could be disastrous, and no one stands to benefit from it,” he stressed.
On Monday, Grossi visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia, located near the area where Ukraine carried out a large-scale incursion into internationally recognized Russian territory in early August. He emphasized that the fighting near the plant poses a risk of a “nuclear incident.”
Russian officials have previously accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the Kursk nuclear facility with drones, with one reportedly crashing near the plant’s spent fuel storage the previous week.
Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, stated on Wednesday that the West's refusal to hold Ukraine accountable for attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant has encouraged Kiev to target the Kursk NPP similarly. He asserted that this impunity “potentially could trigger a nuclear incident with tragic consequences for the whole of Europe.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
