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This Wednesday, Russia formally appropriated – an annexation decree was signed by President Putin – the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, in southern Ukraine, which has been occupied for months militarily, which led the director general of the International Agency for Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to travel urgently to kyiv. Russia “will manage the plant’s nuclear facilities (…) as federal property,” says the decree, signed today by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced his immediate departure to kyiv to “discuss the establishment of a protection zone” around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, the largest in Europe. “On my way to kyiv for important meetings. The need for a protection zone around the plant. [nuclear] it is more urgent than ever”, said Rafael Grossi, in a message published through the social network Twitter.
The trip, which was scheduled for this week but has now become urgent, aims to “continue consultations” to establish a plant protection device “as soon as possible,” the IAEA said.
The Zaporizhia power plant, located in the region of the same name, one of the Ukrainian territories annexed this Friday by Russia, close to the demarcation line between the territories controlled by kyiv and those occupied by Moscow, has been left in the hands of Russian troops since the beginning of March. Moscow and kyiv have accused each other of bombing the site for several months, raising the specter of a major nuclear disaster, similar to Chernobyl in 1986.
Its director, Igor Murachov, was detained by Russia on Friday and the IAEA has said it will not resume his duties at the plant, although the international agency does not yet know who will replace him.
Although kyiv defends a demilitarized zone around the plant, Rafael Grossi called in September to “keep things simple”, considering that “Ukraine and Russia must agree on the very simple principle of not attacking or bombing the plant” and must compromise ” that no military action will target the plant or its surroundings.”
The Russian president today ratified laws calling for the annexation of four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – after a referendum held last week, which the majority of the international community did not recognize.
Source: Observadora
