The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated that all nuclear safety measures were violated at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP — it was completely out of the organizationʼs control.
Sky News and Associated Press write about it.
According to Grossi, "all nuclear security measures" have been violated at the NPP — the plant is in an active war zone and came under fire at the start of a full-scale Russian invasion. The station is controlled by Russian troops, although all nuclear operations are carried out by Ukrainians. Grossi states this situation leads to conflicts and possible violence at the station.
Grossi noted that the supply of equipment and spare parts to the station has been interrupted. The IAEA must conduct important inspections to ensure that nuclear material is protected.
- The day before, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said that Russia uses the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP as a military base, which serves as a kind of "nuclear shield" for the occupiers. According to him, Russian troops are constantly firing at Ukrainian forces from the territory of the nuclear power plant, but do not receive a response, because the Armed Forces cannot prevent an accident at the plant.
- The occupiers traditionally deny such statements. The representative of the Russian Federation at the UN stated that "there are no military formations at the NPP, except for a limited number of military personnel necessary to control its security."
- On August 2, Ukraine called on the UN to close the sky over nuclear power plants. There are currently 15 nuclear power units operating in Ukraine, each of which can become a target for Russian aircraft or missiles.