The UN nuclear agency on Tuesday renewed its request to assess the safety and security of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, which Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling, prompting warnings of a possible nuclear disaster. UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo announced at the start of an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant that Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, had requested the dispatch of an IAEA mission “to carry out the necessary safety, security and protection activities at the site .”
Preparations for the mission are ongoing and the IAEA is actively consulting with all parties on its efforts to send such a mission as soon as possible,” DiCarlo said. “We welcome recent statements by Ukraine and Russia indicating support for the IAEA’s intention to send a mission to the plant, which would be the first since the beginning of the war.” Grossi said in a statement that “the mission is expected to take place within the next few days if ongoing negotiations are successful.” DiCarlo said the U.N. has logistical and security capacity in Ukraine “to support any IAEA mission to the plant from Kiev if Ukraine and Russia agree.”
The Zaporizhia plant has been under the control of Russian forces since early March, shortly after their invasion of Ukraine. Technical experts from Ukraine continue to operate the nuclear facility. DiCarlo described the situation in and around the plant as “dangerous” and warned that if the near-daily reports of “alarming incidents involving the plant” continue or escalate, “we could be facing disaster.” Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, told the council that since its last meeting on Operation Zaporozhye about two weeks ago, “the nuclear security situation has further deteriorated.” The armed forces of Ukraine continue to shell the territory of the nuclear power plant and the city of Enerhodar practically every day, which creates a real risk of a radiation accident,” he said.
We expect that the IAEA mission will take place in the very near future and the agency’s experts will confirm the real situation on the station,” said Nebenzia. “We are ready to provide the maximum possible support in solving all organizational problems.” Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya welcomed the readiness of Grossi from the IAEA to send a mission to Zaporozhye. He said earlier on Tuesday Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to Grossi’s letter with the proposed IAEA itinerary that it is in accordance with Ukrainian legislation “and can generally be accepted”.
“Further measures are to be taken based on security conditions and require the communication of detailed route plans and other logistical aspects as soon as possible,” Kyslytsya said. Kyslytsya emphasized that Ukraine would like to see the IAEA mission strengthened by incorporating “military and political components” and that IAEA experts remain at the plant until it is returned to Ukraine. He also repeated Ukraine’s demand for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Zaporozhye and for a demilitarized zone around the power plant.
After last week’s high-level meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, involving UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey, progress appeared to have been made on the IAEA’s mission at the plant. But there were no signs of progress until DiCarlo’s announcement. DiCarlo told the council that the UN chief discussed the issue of plant security during a phone call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Aug. 15 and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting in Lviv on Aug. 18.
The Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors accused each other of responsibility for the attacks around Zaporozhye. Nebenzia accused Ukraine of “using nuclear blackmail” by shelling the plant and called Western proposals for Russian forces to withdraw and create a demilitarized zone “irresponsible”. He said that they do not take into account the need for the safe operation of the plant. Addressing Western members of the council, he said: “Once again, we appeal to you to stop covering up what your Kiev protégés are doing and to get them to stop attacking Zaporozhye (the plant), which is fraught with the risk of an accident and radioactive contamination.” European countries.”
Citing reports from the Russian Defense Ministry about alleged Ukrainian shelling, Nebenzia said Security Council members were sent “a number of such photographic evidences” on Tuesday. He insisted that Russia had no heavy weapons at the factory and that the “catastrophe” was averted thanks to “smooth joint work” between Ukrainian workers, fire brigades, emergency people and the Russian military. Ukraine’s Kyslycja said Russia needed Zaporozhye to “wage war” against his country and accused Moscow of “turning the issue of nuclear safety at the facility into a farce, a circus.”
“No one in their right mind can imagine that Ukraine would attack a nuclear power plant with a huge risk of nuclear disaster and on its own territory,” he said. “Such a disaster would lead to many deaths and pollution for many years to come.” Kyslytsya said that Russia also needs the power plant “for propaganda purposes, because the de-occupation of the power plant will mean the failure of Putin’s campaign in southern Ukraine.”
