Ukraine’s nuclear plant facing ‘grave hour,’ UN warns

Ukraine’s nuclear plant facing ‘grave hour,’ UN warns


Ukraine’s largest nuclear plant could be on the brink of an “unacceptable” radiation leak amid “very alarming” military activity,  the UN’s nuclear chief warned this week — as he called for an end to attacks at the facility.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, urged Russia and Ukraine on Thursday to immediately allow nuclear experts to assess safety at the sprawling Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex.

“These military actions near such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences,” Grossi told the UN Security Council, adding that “any nuclear catastrophe would be unacceptable.”

Addressing the council via video conference, Grossi said the attacks on the plant were “very alarming” and the situation at the facility had reached a “grave hour.”

The meeting was called by Russia to discuss what Moscow claims were Ukrainian attacks on the plant.

Ukraine’s nuclear plant facing ‘grave hour,’ UN warns
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for attacking the plant, which is the largest nuclear facility in Ukraine.
REUTERS

Grossi pointed to shelling and several explosions at Zaporizhzhia last Friday that forced the shutdown of the electrical power transformer and two backup transformers, forcing the shutdown of one nuclear reactor.

Last week, Grossi said in an Associated Press interview that the situation at Zaporizhzhia was “completely out of control.”

On Thursday, he demanded a halt to military actions “that have even the smallest potential to jeopardize nuclear safety” at such an important installation.

While a preliminary assessment by experts found “no immediate threat to nuclear safety” at the plant from the shelling and military actions, “this could change at any moment,” he warned.

The plant has been under Russian control since March, but it continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff.
The plant has been under Russian control since March, but it continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff.
AFP via Getty Images

Grossi’s appeal echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call earlier Thursday for an end to all hostilities around the Zaporizhzhia plant, warning that any damage could lead to “catastrophic consequences” in the vicinity, the region and beyond. He previously called attacks on the facility “suicidal.”

While the plant is controlled by Russian forces, its Ukrainian staff continues to run the nuclear operations. It is in Enerhodar, a city seized by Russian troops in early March soon after they invaded Ukraine.

Kyiv has said for weeks it is planning a counteroffensive to recapture Zaporizhzhia and neighboring Kherson provinces — the largest part of the territory Russia seized after its Feb. 24 invasion still in Russian hands.

Grossi said statements received from Russia and Ukraine “are frequently contradicted” and the IAEA can’t corroborate important facts unless its experts visit Zaporizhzhia.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that ”Kyiv’s criminal attacks on nuclear infrastructure are pushing the world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe.”

He accused Ukrainian armed forces in recent days of repeatedly using heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems to shell the Zaporizhzhia plant, including on Thursday.

“The background radiation at the nuclear power plant at the moment is within limits, but if the strikes continue it is only a question of time,” Nebenzia warned. “We call on states that support the Kyiv regime to bring their proxies into check to compel them to immediately and once and for all stop attacks.”

Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, accused Russia of using “elaborate plans of deceit, sabotage and cover-ups” to stage the shelling at Zaporizhzhia, including on Thursday, which poses “an unprecedented threat to nuclear security for Ukraine, to Europe and the world as a whole.”

The Ukrainian state company operating the plant, Enerhoatom, said there was renewed Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia facility and nearby buildings Thursday.

Last week, Grossi warned that the situation at the plant was "completely out of control."
Last week, Grossi warned that the situation at the plant was “completely out of control.”
Getty Images

“Five (hits) were recorded near the plant management’s office — right next to the welding site and the storage facility for radiation sources,” Enerhoatom said in a post on its official Telegram channel. “The grass caught fire over a small area, but fortunately, no one was hurt.”

Ukraine’s ambassador told the council the only way to remove the nuclear threats is by withdrawing Russian troops and returning the plant to Ukraine’s control.

Nebenzia said Russia supported an IAEA visit in June to Zaporizhzhia, which was given “a red light” at the last minute by UN security experts. Moscow is ready to provide “all possible assistance” to resolve any issues for a visit “even before the end of August,” he said.

Yevhen Balytskyy, the Kremlin-installed temporary head of the Zaporizhzhia region, said Thursday that the Russia-backed administration there stood ready to ensure the safety and security of any IAEA delegation sent to investigate conditions.

He said in an interview on Russian state TV that the Kremlin-backed authorities had prepared armored vehicles for the international envoys.

Kyslytsya blamed Russia’s “unjustified conditions” for the delay in getting IAEA experts to Zaporizhzhia, and said Ukraine stands ready to provide “all necessary assistance” to facilitate the nuclear team’s travels through Ukrainian-controlled territory, which is just five miles from the plant across the Dnieper River.

Bonnie Jenkins, US undersecretary of state for arms control, called the situation at Zaporizhzhia “another tragic result” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

She said the solution is straightforward: Russia should immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine so Ukrainians can to restore “the impeccable safety, security, and safeguards performance it upheld for decades at the facility.”

At the end of the council meeting, Grossi said there was “a common denominator” among the 15 members: “Everybody agrees that nuclear safety and security must be preserved. … And everybody believes that this mission must take place.”

UN experts are calling on Russia and Ukraine to let them assess the damage at the nuclear plant and make the necessary repairs.
UN experts are calling on Russia and Ukraine to let them assess the damage at the nuclear plant and make the necessary repairs.
AP

“So, it’s no longer a matter of if, it’s only a matter of when,” the UN nuclear chief said. “The when must be as soon as possible.”

Guterres appealed in a statement “for common sense and reason” to avoid any actions “that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant,” and for the withdrawal of all military personnel and equipment.

The Russian capture of Zaporizhzhia renewed fears that reactors at the largest of Ukraine’s four nuclear plants could be damaged, setting off another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world’s worst nuclear disaster. That happened about 65 miles north of the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Russia return the plant to Ukraine’s control.

“Only a full withdrawal of the Russians … and the restoration of full Ukrainian control of the situation around the station can guarantee a resumption of nuclear security for all of Europe,” he said in a video address.

France echoed Zelensky’s demand and said Russia’s occupation of the site endangered the world.

“The presence and actions of the Russian armed forces near the plant significantly increase the risk of an accident with potentially devastating consequences,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the only way to ensure the safety of the plant is for Russians to withdraw from the region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the only way to ensure the safety of the plant is for Russians to withdraw from the region.
Alexey Furman/Getty Images

Speaking at a conference in Copenhagen on Thursday, Zelensky told defense leaders at that the consequences of a radiation accident at Zaporizhzhia “could be even more catastrophic than Chernobyl, and essentially the same as the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, but without a nuclear strike.”

“If the Soviet authorities tried to hide the Chernobyl disaster and its full consequences, Russian authorities are much more cynical and dangerous,” he said. “They are doing everything themselves to maximize the risk of a nuclear disaster, and lie to the whole world that someone else is allegedly to blame.”

With Post Wires

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