IAEA chief warns Zaporozhye plant is “dangerously” close to nuclear accident

“We are getting dangerously close to a nuclear accident”. ZaporozhyeThe head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Monday, rafael grossiCondemning the recent attacks against a Ukrainian nuclear power plant.

There have been a series of drone attacks since April 7 on the Zaporizhia Plant (ZNPP), which Moscow and Kiev have blamed on each other, in southern Ukraine and since March 2022.

in “Reckless attack”The first directed directly against Europe’s largest power plant since November 2022, “must be stopped immediately”, defended Rafael Grossi at the UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the case.

The Director-General of the UN organization said, “Although fortunately this time they did not cause any radiological incidents, they have significantly increased the risks at the Zaporizhia plant, where nuclear safety is already compromised.”

Furthermore, he has set a “dangerous precedent” by successfully accessing the containment structure of a reactor.

“The two-year war has taken a heavy toll on the security of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. Each of the IAEA’s seven pillars of nuclear security is in agreement, “We cannot sit idly by and wait for one last weight to hit the scales,” he pleaded.

“We are getting dangerously close to a nuclear disaster,” he stressed. He also said that “the die will not be thrown to decide what happens tomorrow.”

Even if the plant’s six reactors are shut down, “the potential risk of a serious nuclear accident remains very real.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the IAEA’s Governing Council has adopted four resolutions condemning Russia’s actions against Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

In which city is Zaporizhia power plant located? energeticOn the banks of the Dnieper River, and has been the target of attacks and bombings over the past two years.

European Union And usa Last week he joined the condemnation against Russia for their attacks on the plant ZaporozhyeDue to which the risk of nuclear accident has increased.

“These are the risks Direct result of illegal seizure by Russia of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia Gross violation of the UN Charter“, Carl Hallergaard, the ambassador of the European bloc to international organizations, condemned in the context of the attacks that Moscow has launched on the plant since last Sunday, including against the dome of one of its reactors.

“These actions significantly increase the risks to nuclear safety, which could lead to accidents with serious consequences in Ukraine and beyond,” he said.

For its part, Washington also accused Vladimir Putin of “a large-scale invasion of Ukraine” and “his takes from the plant by forceof being responsible for nuclear instability in the region. If an accident occurs, it will be “a direct consequence of President Putin’s decision to continue his struggle.” illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war Against Ukraine,” Laura Holgate, its ambassador to the IAEA, stressed.

(With information from AFP and EFE)