Ukrainian nuclear plant faces ‘alarming situation’, says UN agency

The “alarming” situation at a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine has reached a “grave moment”, the head of the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog said on Thursday (12), when asking an immediate site inspection by international experts.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned that parts of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant had been destroyed due to recent attacks, risking a potential “unacceptable” leakage of radiation.

“IAEA experts believe there is no immediate threat to nuclear security,” but “that could change at any time,” Grossi said.

“Any military action that jeopardizes nuclear safety must stop immediately,” he added. “These military activities near such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences.”

The Zaporizhzhia plant – Europe’s largest nuclear plant – occupies a sprawling site on the Dnipro River near the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar. The facility has continued to operate at reduced capacity since Russian forces captured it in early March, with Ukrainian technicians remaining on the job.

Russia and Ukraine are so far unwilling to agree to an inspection of the plant and accuse each other of bombing the facility – an action that violates “the indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security”, the Agency said.

Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia on Thursday blamed Ukraine for the bombing and urged Kiev supporters to stop the attacks and prevent a disastrous radiation leak.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Moscow, saying the Russian government puts all of Europe in danger.

“Only the complete withdrawal of the Russians from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the restoration of Ukraine’s full control over the situation around the plant will guarantee the restoration of nuclear security for the whole of Europe,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom said 10 projectiles landed near the complex on Thursday, preventing a shift transfer.

“For the safety of the nuclear workers, the buses with the personnel of the next shift have returned to Enerhodar,” the agency said. “Until the situation finally normalizes, employees from the previous shift will continue to work.”

Energoatom said radiation levels at the site remain normal despite the new attacks.

Several Western and Ukrainian officials believe that Russia is using the massive nuclear facility as a stronghold to protect its troops and mount attacks, because they assume that Kiev will not attack the site, at the risk of a crisis.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Moscow of using the plant to protect its forces, while the UK Ministry of Defense said in a recent security assessment that Russia’s actions at the complex sabotage the security of its operations.

The Ukrainian mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, said in late July that Russian forces had been observed using heavy weaponry near the plant because “they know very well that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not respond to these attacks as they could damage the nuclear plant.”

The US backed Ukraine’s calls for a demilitarized zone around the facility, while at the UN, Bonnie Jenkins, the US undersecretary for arms control and international affairs, said Russia was responsible for the “nuclear risks” at the plant.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – who previously called the bombing at the plant “suicidal” – said on Thursday in a statement that he was “gravely concerned”.

“We must make it clear that any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia or any other nuclear facility in Ukraine, or anywhere else, could lead to catastrophic consequences not just for the immediate vicinity, but for the region and beyond,” he said.