The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again warned of the risk of a nuclear accident “at any moment” at the Ukrainian Zaporizhia power plant, which is under Russian control, and insisted on the creation of a safety zone.
“We know every day that a nuclear accident or an accident with serious radiological consequences can happen at any time, that’s why I am so worried,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in kyiv, where he met Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. .
Regarding the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the fighting around Zaporizhia, the Argentine diplomat recalled that he has been insisting for months on “the essential establishment of a protection zone around the unit.”
After 11 months from the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on February 24 of last year, Grossi regretted that a feeling of routine had been created with the alerts of the “wolf’s attack”, more alert that a disaster “could happen to any moment”.
The Argentine diplomat mentioned the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan in 2011, after an earthquake followed by a ‘tsunami’, in which “Mother Nature” was blamed.
“Who are we going to blame if something happens?” now, she questioned it, describing the situation in Zaporizhia as “very precarious”, with explosions near the nuclear power plant.
Even if there is no new Russian offensive in the region, the unit “is always on the front line,” he stressed.
After the meeting with Zelensky, Grossi revealed that he intends to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, also to convince him about the creation of a protection zone.
The IAEA director said that all parties agree that the plant should be protected, adding that he has maintained a “professional collaboration” with the Russian authorities.
Grossi said that the issues raised are “objective and technical” and that “must be met” by all parties.
“We must not forget that the security standards that we are trying to apply have been agreed upon by the entire world,” he declared.
The diplomat is in Ukraine to accompany a mission to send IAEA technicians to all nuclear power plants in Ukraine as part of their efforts to prevent accidents from the war started by Russia.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine has so far caused the flight of more than 14 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and almost eight million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Right now, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing Russia from the political point of view and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war 7,031 dead civilians and 11,327 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
