The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sent a mission on Monday to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, located in a part of the Dnieper River where the war front that separates the Russian and Ukrainian armies is located. The bombings in the vicinity of the plant have heightened the danger of a nuclear disaster of which the parties blame each other. Russia, which has controlled the plant since March, assures that it will guarantee the safety of the inspectors.
The director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, announced yesterday that a team of 14 experts from this UN agency based in Vienna had begun their trip to Ukraine. "We must protect the security of the largest nuclear facility in Ukraine and in Europe," he wrote on Twitter. The Ukrainian government was expecting the inspectors to arrive in Kyiv yesterday, its Foreign Ministry said. Grossi indicated that they will arrive at the plant this week, although he did not specify what day.
The IAEA tweeted separately that the mission, which Grossi himself will lead, will assess physical damage, the conditions in which plant personnel are working, and "determine the functionality of safety and security systems." In addition, it will carry out "urgent safeguard activities", that is, it will review the nuclear material.
The announcement comes as the governments of Moscow and Kyiv continue to accuse each other of attacking the territory near the plant with their artillery. The only thing they agree on is that “Europe is exposed to nuclear danger”, and not infrequently the 1986 disaster in Chernobyl (northern Ukraine) is cited as an example.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov assured that Moscow welcomes the mission and is ready to cooperate. He further said that Russia will guarantee the safety of nuclear experts in the area under its control.
He pointed out, however, that the risks "are associated with the incessant bombing of the Ukrainian side." And he encouraged the international community to increase pressure on Ukraine.
The authorities that Russia has imposed on the territory under its control in the province of Zaporizhia said yesterday that the Ukrainian bombings are common. Vladimir Rógov, one of its leaders, assured on Telegram that a projectile had pierced the ceiling of an area "where fuel for the plant's reactors is stored."
The Ukrainian version is totally the opposite. Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Sunday that Russian forces shelled Enerhodar, the city where the nuclear power plant is located. "They try to blackmail everyone," he said.
The Ukrainian atomic energy company, Energoatom, warned yesterday that after the attack on Enerhodar, the plant operates with the risk of violating fire and radiation safety regulations. However, Russians and Ukrainians have said that radiation levels in the area are within the norm.
Russia occupied the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in March. The plant, however, is kept running by Ukrainian workers. Due to their characteristics, in this war of attrition that is now over six months, the facilities are critical due to the damage they may suffer.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba said yesterday that Kyiv had been "requesting for a long time" the arrival of the inspectors. The mission "will be the toughest mission in the history of the IAEA due to the combat activity carried out by Russia," he assured during a trip to Stockholm. “We expect from the mission clear statements about the violation of all nuclear security protocols” committed by Russia, he added.
Far from Ukraine, Russia is preparing to train its military force. Between September 1 and 7, its Defense Ministry reported yesterday, it will carry out the Vostok-2022 military exercises in the Russian Far East. 50,000 soldiers, 140 planes and 60 ships will participate. There will be contingents and observers from more than ten countries, including China, India and Russia's partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
