The head of the UN’s nuclear programme, Rafael Grossi, has warned that we are “living on lost time” after two landmine explosions near Europe’s largest atomic power plant in Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed concerns about the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia plant.
Russian forces took control of the six-reactor plant in war-torn southern Ukraine in March last year – something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “radiation blackmail”.
“We are living in lost time when it comes to nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Grossi said yesterday.
He added, “Unless we take action to protect the plant, sooner or later our luck will run out, with potentially catastrophic consequences for human health and the environment.”
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear program, Rafael Grossi (pictured at the Zaporizhia plant), warned that we are “living on lost time” after two landmine explosions near the Zaporizhia plant in Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed concerns about the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia plant (file photo)
His comments come after two land mine explosions outside the fence surrounding the factory — first on April 8, and then another four days later on Wednesday, according to the release.
She added that it was not immediately clear what caused the explosions.
Grossi met with top Russian officials in Kaliningrad last week and, before that, with Zelensky in Zaporizhia to discuss the safety plan.
He also warned yesterday that the plant continued to rely on a single power line that was still operational, posing “a significant risk to nuclear safety and security.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency said a backup power line damaged on March 1 has not yet been repaired.
It also said that the plant’s staffing situation remains “complicated and difficult”, in part due to staff shortages.
Last month, Grossi warned of the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe because of the “dangerous” situation at the plant.
“The plant’s lack of access to the grid and necessary repair work on the last emergency power line could cause it to lose all power, making it dependent on diesel generators for the seventh time since it was taken over by Russia,” Grossi said at the time.
Grossi met with senior Russian officials in Kaliningrad last week and, before that, with Zelensky in Zaporizhia to discuss the safety plan.
Grossi (pictured with Zelensky) warned yesterday that the plant continued to rely on a single power line that was still operational, posing a ‘significant risk to nuclear safety and security’.
He added, “I call once again for the commitment of all parties to ensuring nuclear safety and protecting security at the plant.”
Diesel emergency generators have been activated to power the plant’s safety systems, according to Ukraine’s nuclear energy agency Energoatom, which warned of the risk of an accident.
Without the electricity these generators produce, overheating of reactor fuel could cause a nuclear accident, as happened in Japan’s Fukushima in 2011.
The two sides accused the other of shelling the vicinity of the station since it was occupied by Russian forces at the beginning of the war.
The warning from the UN comes amid renewed Russian assaults on the eastern town of Bakhmut – an area that has seen heavy casualties on both sides and has earned it the nickname “The Meat Grinder”.
Wagner’s mercenary group claims to have occupied most of the eastern city but the Kiev forces deny this.
A photo taken during a visit organized by the Russian military to Innerhodar shows missile fragments in the area of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
This morning, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that Russia has “reactivated its offensive on the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast”.
It said that while Ukraine still controlled the western areas of the city, it had come under “particularly heavy Russian artillery fire over the past 48 hours”.
Meanwhile, FBI investigators have arrested Jacques Teixeira, a 21-year-old suspected of leaking US intelligence documents revealing secrets of the Ukraine war.
Teixeira, who will appear in court later today, is set to be charged with removing or transmitting classified information for national defense — an offense under the National Espionage Act.
