The Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Raphael Grossi, warned this Thursday that the situation around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhyaunder Russian control since March 2022, it is still “very fragile”.
“Unfortunately, the situation continues to be very fragile and unstable,” Grossi said after meeting with the Director General of the Russian Atomic Agency, rosatom, Alexei Likhachev.
As an example, he recalled that this Thursday a new IAEA staff turnoverbut it did not come to fruition.
“One group was to leave the station and another to come in their place. Unfortunately, we had to postpone it due to the prevailing situation in the region, the strong explosions”, he explained, according to the agency RIA Novosti.
Meanwhile, Lijachov expressed his confidence in a “very urgent” creation of a security zone around the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
“Despite the highly politicized atmosphere surrounding this issue, the agency maintains its professional stance and seeks a real solution to the problem. We highly value the fact of the presence of IAEA specialists at the plant”, he stressed.
The russian atomic agency noted that Likhachov had informed Grossi about “the steps that the Russian side is taking” for the safety of the plant and the “comfortable living conditions” of their staff, as well as their family members.
The control panel continues to function thanks to Ukrainian technicians to which Russia has offered new contracts and attached to a corporation managed by rosatom behind the illegal annexation of Zaporizhzhya by Russia in September 2022.
The plant has been the object of periodic bombardments for which Moscow and kyiv are mutually responsible.
He IAEA has proposed the creation of a demilitarized zone around the nuclear power plant, where the IAEA established a permanent presence already last year, but no agreement has yet been reached between the parties.
The maximum person in charge of IAEA was last in Moscow in December 2022, when he met with Likhachev.
In January Grossi traveled to kyiv, where he met with the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenskyto address the security situation in Zaporizhzhya and the deployment of IAEA missions in other nuclear plants in the country.
The plant’s six reactors are still off and two continue in hot shutdown mode to supply steam and heat to the plant and the nearby city of energodar.
The plant also continues to receive the external electricity it needs for essential safety functions.
He IAEA highlighted that in the last weeks of January up to eight “loud detonations” that even caused vibrations in the windows of the offices where experts from the organization work.
“A security zone would help protect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, making sure that it is not a target and is not used for attacks from the site,” Grossi pointed out in regard to a measure that they already recommended months ago.
(With information from EFE, EP and Reuters)
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Source-www.infobae.com