Ukraine, Russia trade blame over nuclear plant as UN experts investigate
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Rafael Grossi, the mission leader (centre in white helmet) and IAEA members inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power Plant Thursday. Pic/AP
Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over each others’ actions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Friday as a team of inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog tried to check the safety of the facility and avert a potential disaster.
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Ukraine’s state nuclear company said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission had not been allowed to enter the plant’s crisis centre, where Ukraine says Russian troops are stationed, and would struggle to make an impartial assessment. The plant is still run by Ukrainian staff and Russia has rejected calls for it to withdraw its troops.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, speaking after the initial visit, said the physical integrity of the plant had been violated several times and he was worried by the situation there. Grossi said on his return to Ukrainian-held territory on Thursday, “It is obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated, several times ... this is something that cannot continue to happen.”
Also Read: UN nuclear agency team arrives at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
He said his experts would stay at the facility and he would continue to worry until the situation had stabilised. Grossi said he had been able to tour the entire site, seeing key areas such as the emergency systems and control rooms. His team would now need to do a lot of work to finish its analysis of technical aspects. “We are not going anywhere. The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving - it’s going to stay there,” Grossi told reporters
However, Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom said it would be would be difficult for the IAEA team to make an impartial assessment. “The Russians did not allow the mission to enter the crisis centre, where Russian military personnel are currently stationed, whom the IAEA representatives were not supposed to see,” Energoatom said in a statement. “The (Russian) occupiers lie, distort the facts and evidence that testify to their shelling of the power plant, as well as the consequences of damage to the infrastructure,” it said.
Also Read: World must pressure Ukraine over nuke plant: the Kremlin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mission could still have a role to play despite the difficulties. “Unfortunately we haven’t heard the main thing from the IAEA, which is the call for Russia to demilitarise the station,” Zelensky said in a video to a forum in Italy. Russia’s Defence Minister Shoigu rejected assertions by Kyiv and the West that Russia had deployed heavy weapons at the plant. He accused Ukraine of “nuclear terrorism” by shelling. Shoigu repeated Moscow’s insistence that Kyiv would carry the responsibility for any escalation at the site.
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