Russia-Ukraine conflict: the IAEA warns of a possible nuclear accident in Zaporizhia | Grossi asks to guarantee the safety of the operating personnel

by time news

The Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, issued a warning on Friday about a possible accident at the Ukrainian nuclear plant in Zaporizhia, occupied by Russia.after a bombardment cut off the external electrical connection with the plant on Thursday.

Grossi, was firm in requesting the cessation of the bombing around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and that a nuclear protection and security zone must be immediately agreed, in a video that was accompanied by a written statement. “Because of the increase and continuity of the bombing, there is little chance of reestablishing a reliable supply of energy outside the facilities of the nuclear power plant”assured the head of the International Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear agency, who described the situation as completely unacceptable.

“This dramatic event demonstrates the absolute need to establish a nuclear security protection zone. It is the only way to guarantee that we do not face a nuclear accident,” Grossi concludes his written statement, which is accompanied by a video message. “A nuclear power plant must never be an instrument of war. Its fate must not be decided by military means. The consequences of such actions are too serious. The IAEA is in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and can facilitate the implantation of the area. There is no time to lose”he pointed.

Since the beginning of the week, the IAEA has had two of its experts located at the Ukrainian plant, who report to the agency on what is happening there. According to Grossi, the electrical infrastructure that feeds the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, where the nuclear power plant operators and their families live, was destroyed by the bombing of the city’s thermal power plant, causing a total blackout in Enerhodar. “As a result, the IAEA understands that the operator, no longer having confidence in the restoration of external power, is considering shutting down the only remaining operating reactor.”warns the CEO.

According to the IAEA, the plant would then rely entirely on emergency diesel generators to ensure vital nuclear safety and security functions. As a consequence, Grossi’s note adds, the operator would not be able to restart the reactors unless off-site power is reliably restored.

On the other hand, Grossi warns that the thousands of plant employees who live in Enerhodar are exposed to poor conditions that increase the risk that the availability of essential personnel to continue operating the plant safely will be affected. “This is an unsustainable and increasingly precarious situation. Enerhodar was left in the dark. The plant has no external power. And we have seen that once the infrastructure is repaired, it is damaged again”Grossi warned.

“Therefore, I urgently call for the immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area,” he demanded. “Only in this way can the safety of the operating personnel be guaranteed and allow the lasting restoration of energy in Enerhodar and in the power plant”assured Grossi, who did not identify the authors of the bombings.

Since March 4, the Russian army has occupied the Zaporizhia plant, the largest in Europe, with six reactors and some ten thousand employees who operate it, and for months Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of the attacks around the plant. .

Counterattack and reinforcements

Meanwhile, the Russian army announced this Friday that it has sent reinforcements to the Ukrainian region of Kharkov, after Ukraine indicated progress in its counteroffensive in that part of the country, which borders Russia. President Volodimir Zelenski assured that the Ukrainian army continues its counteroffensive and that it has already recovered thirty towns in the northeast.

Given the news about the Ukrainian advance and without commenting on the enemy’s actions, the Russian Defense Ministry released images of the transfer of Russian troops to the Kharkiv direction on Friday. In three Defense videos, convoys of armored vehicles, trucks, and special equipment can be seen presumably heading to this front.

Russian Uragan missile launch systems can also be seen among the reinforcements sent. According to the public television channel Rossia-24, Mi-26 helicopters also brought additional troops and equipment to the towns of Kupiansk and Izium. The Kremlin, in turn, on Friday avoided commenting on the Ukrainian counteroffensive and redirected that question to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

This Thursday, the Ukrainian authorities had reported the reconquest of the city of Balaklia and a territorial advance of a thousand kilometers. An official of the Russian occupation administration in the region, Vitali Ganchov, stated on television that fighting, which he described as fierce, was being waged around the city of Balaklia.

“We no longer control Balaklia. There are attempts to dislodge the Ukrainian forces, but the fighting is fierce and our troops remain in the vicinity.”, he claimed. According to Ganchov, fighting is also taking place near the town of Shevchenkove, also in the Kharkov region. “There too the Ukrainian armed forces are trying to break through the defenses. Russian reinforcements have been sent there, our troops are replying.” he claimed.

Kharkiv, the capital of the region of the same name and the second largest city in Ukraine (after the capital, kyiv), is very close to the border with Russia and has been on the front line since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24.

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