SThe Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Zaporizhia has been occupied by Russian troops since the first days of the war of aggression ordered by the Kremlin. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has repeatedly pointed out the dangerous situation of the Ukrainian nuclear plants in general and Zaporizhia in particular.
However, the situation there has not stabilized, but worsened, as Grossi now warned. “All the security principles have been violated in one way or another,” he said Tuesday night in New York, where he was attending a UN conference on the review of the NPT. “We cannot allow this to continue.”
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, with an output of 6,000 megawatts in six reactor blocks, will continue to be operated by its Ukrainian team, which, however, will be under the supervision of the Russian military. Shots were fired when the factory was taken, and an administration building was on fire. According to the Ukrainian government, heavy weapons such as artillery, ammunition and explosives are now stored there.
The Ukrainians cannot shoot back
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said recently that there are credible reports that Russia is using the Zaporizhia facility as a kind of protective shield. Shots are being fired at Ukrainian forces from near the facility. The Ukrainians cannot fire back because doing so could result in a terrible nuclear accident. Grossi said at the end of July that it was “extremely important that nothing is done that in any way endangers the safety of this power plant”. During a conflict like this, “a nuclear facility can be inadvertently damaged. This must be avoided at all costs.”
The head of the Vienna-based authority responsible for monitoring the safety and security of nuclear facilities in the Member States is no less concerned about the situation of the staff at the nuclear power plant. One of the safety principles mentioned by Grossi is that the staff can work rested, without pressure and on their own responsibility. None of this is guaranteed in Zaporizhia. The situation is “very tense,” said Grossi. According to reports, even senior employees were kidnapped by Russian forces.
Grossi demands access for the IAEA to the work. But that is “very complex, because it requires the consent and cooperation of certain actors”. Apparently, not only the Russian side is causing difficulties, but also the Ukrainian side, because they fear that it would come close to acknowledging the status quo if the IAEA made agreements with the Russians for access. Grossi insists that the agency is a purely technical and non-political institution that must do everything necessary to ensure the security and protection of the systems. In the past, Ukrainian government officials have sharply attacked Grossi because they believe he takes sides with Russia. However, this criticism has recently died down.
However, it is currently very difficult for the IAEA to even get into the war zone near Zaporizhia, Grossi said. For this, the agency not only needs the approval of Ukraine and the support of the United Nations. One must also come to an agreement with Russia as the occupier of the place. In July, he said there were consistent reports in the media, including official communications to the IAEA, that the already difficult and stressful conditions for Ukraine’s crew at the power plant had worsened. An IAEA presence would be crucial to better understand the situation in the power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March 4th.
