The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday demanded the establishment of a “safe zone” around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine to avoid a serious accident.
“The current situation is unsustainable,” writes the UN body in a 52-page report.
“It is urgent to take provisional measures and one of them is the creation of a nuclear security and protection zone,” adds the IAEA report.
The UN nuclear watchdog also points to “extremely stressful” working conditions for Ukrainian employees at the plant, occupied by Russian troops and disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid since Monday afternoon.
Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of attacks on the plant, which has raised fears of a nuclear disaster.
After diplomatic efforts, an IAEA delegation gained access to the facilities last week and had the opportunity to verify the situation on the ground.
Since Monday, two inspectors have been permanently stationed at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, after six other specialists who carried out inspections in recent days left the site.
“I hope that [o relatório] be objective”, said the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, before the release of the document and after criticizing the IAEA for the fact that the UN body had not mentioned, after the visit of the mission of 14 experts ( headed by the director general of the IAEA, Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi), the topic of the “demilitarization” of the place.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, controls the plant in Zaporizhia (south) since March 4.
Source: TSF
