Ukraine: IAEA warns of the risk of a “serious nuclear accident” in Zaporizhia

2023-05-07 12:27:19

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Saturday of the risk of a “serious nuclear accident” at the Zaporizhia power plant, occupied by Russian forces in Ukraine. “The situation in the area near the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” warned the head of the Agency, Rafael Grossi, quoted in an IAEA press release.

This plant, the largest in Europe, has been targeted several times by gunfire since the start of the conflict, raising fears of a disaster. The Agency’s experts, who are on site, continue to hear the sound of shelling in the area, the last dating from Friday evening, the statement said. They are closely monitoring the situation to “detect any potential impact on nuclear safety and security”, said Rafael Grossi.

“This large nuclear facility must be protected. I will continue to press for all parties to commit to this vital goal, and the IAEA will continue to do everything in its power to help ensure the nuclear safety and security of the plant,” he said. he declared.

On Friday, the regional manager installed by Moscow, Evguéni Balitski, announced a partial evacuation of 18 localities under Russian occupation in the Zaporijjia region, in particular in Energodar. But this raises concerns.

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Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, denounced Saturday on Telegram a too rapid “evacuation”. Huge queues formed at the Chongar checkpoint on the road from Melitopol to Crimea, he said. Ditto in Tokmak, where the queues are getting longer to buy bread, while most gas stations have run out of gas.

These evacuations, “temporary” according to Yevgeny Balitsky, primarily concern children with their parents, the elderly and disabled, and hospital patients in the face of the multiplication, according to him, of Ukrainian bombardments in recent days.

70,000 people evacuated

The Russian authorities plan to evacuate around 70,000 people from localities in the Zaporizhia region under their occupation, according to another official of the occupation administration, Andrei Kozenko, quoted by the TASS agency.

But an evacuation of the employees of the nuclear power plant, whose six reactors are stopped, is not currently planned, announced Saturday Yuri Tchernichuk, director of the site appointed by the Russian authorities.

Zaporijjia’s workforce has gradually decreased since the start of the conflict, details the IAEA press release, and the management of the site is ensured by a sufficient number of employees to ensure the security of the site, according to the Russian authorities.

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The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, controlled by the Russian army since March 2022, is located on the banks of the Dnieper River, which in this area separates the two camps. In mid-April, Rafael Grossi had already warned that we were “on borrowed time” regarding the “safety” of the plant. And although the reactors are not operational, an emergency power line on which they depend is still in operation, which constitutes “a major risk” according to the same source. This line was damaged on March 1 and was still not repaired in mid-April, the IAEA said.