Vienna/Moscow, Aug 29, (dpa/GNA) – An expert team from the UN’s nuclear watchdog, is on the way to Ukraine’s embattled Zaporizhzhya plant, as safety and security concerns persist at Europe’s biggest nuclear facility.
“The day has come,” tweeted Rafael Grossi, the head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), after months of negotiations among the warring sides.
Grossi announced the experts would arrive at the sprawling site, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March, “later this week.”
World powers, along with Ukraine and Russia, have issued dire warnings about the potential for nuclear calamity at Zaporizhzhya, where attacks have ramped up. Kiev and Moscow both deny taking action against the facility, and blame the other side.
The IAEA’s experts will assess the possibility of physical damage on the plant’s six reactors, determine the functionality of safety and security systems, and undertake urgent safeguards, Grossi said.
The IAEA also wants to get a clearer picture of the working conditions of the Ukrainian employees at Zaporizhzhya, who have been carrying out their duties under the control of Russian occupiers.
The experts will also want to make sure that all nuclear material, is accounted for.
A visit to inspect the critical control systems, had until now failed to materialize because of the question of whether the team would travel via Russian-controlled territory or from Ukrainian territory, as well as the need to secure safety guarantees.
Experts inside and outside the IAEA are particularly concerned about the supply of power used to keep the nuclear fuel cool.
So far, the IAEA, Russia and Ukraine, have all said they detect no increase in radiation levels at the plant. The site has sustained damage amid the fighting, including to a high-voltage line, that temporarily forced an emergency shutdown of two reactors.
Grossi has so far given few details about the mission, beyond posting a picture of himself and 13 other IAEA experts.
Founded in 1957, the IAEA oversees the civilian use of nuclear power, and assists in the safe operation of facilities. The agency, under the umbrella of the UN, has about 170 member states.
On Sunday evening, several artillery shells reportedly struck the town of Enerhodar, where the power plant’s workers live. As on the days before, the Russian and Ukrainian sides, blamed each other for the shelling.
Enerhodar, founded in the early 1970s specifically for the power plant, had a population of about 50,000 before Russia’s invasion.
A few hours earlier, Russian troops alleged to have shot down an armed Ukrainian drone, directly over one of the six reactors.
According to Kiev, Russian troops use the plant as a shield from which to fire on locations on the opposite bank of the Dnipro reservoir, because it knows Ukrainian forces will be hesitant to fire toward the sensitive site.
The Kremlin and its local representative say Ukrainian “terrorists” are the ones firing the shots. Russia says Ukraine is bombarding the plant with the help of drones, heavy artillery and rocket launchers. In most cases, Russian air defence intercepts the projectiles, Moscow has siad in recent weeks.
After Grossi’s announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, pledged Moscow’s cooperation with the IAEA but warned, that any discussion about creating a demilitarized zone around the plant, an idea that has been floated, was off the table.
Separately, Russia’s representative to the international organizations in Vienna, said he was informed the mission would involve more than a dozen experts.
Mikhail Ulyanov, said he understood that “a few” experts would be based at the plant long-term, according to Russia’s state-run Ria Novosti news agency.
“We are counting on the IAEA mission’s visit to the plant, to help dispel the myriad speculations about the bad situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant,” he said.
A statement by G7 nations said they welcomed the imminent visit to Zaporizhzhya and said the team, must be allowed access to facilities and Ukrainian personnel “safely and without impediment.”
The G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group, said in a statement they were “profoundly concerned by the serious threat the continued control of Ukrainian nuclear facilities by Russian armed forces, pose to the safety and security of these facilities.”
“These actions significantly raise the risk of a nuclear accident or incident, and endanger the population of Ukraine, neighbouring states, and the international community,” it continued.
GNA