Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, raised concerns on Saturday after the bombing of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, saying what happened “shows the risk of a nuclear catastrophe.”
“I am deeply concerned about the bombing of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which underscores the serious risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond,” Raphael Grossi said in a statement.
The man who heads the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency called on all parties to the conflict in Ukraine to exercise “maximum restraint” in the vicinity of the plant.
On Friday, shelling hit high-capacity power lines inside the station complex, forcing its operators to shut down one of the reactors, although no radioactive leak was detected.
The station was captured by Russian forces in early March, in the first phase of the war, but is still operated by Ukrainian technicians.
Ukraine’s state-run atomic energy company, Energoatom, attributed the damage to the Zaporizhia plant to Russian bombing, while the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of bombing the plant, saying “an accident was behind the lack of radioactive leakage.”
Grossi said the military action, which threatens the safety and security of the Zaporizhia station, is “totally unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs.”
He added: “Any firepower directed at or from the facility is playing with fire with potentially catastrophic consequences.”
Notably, on July 21, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out drone strikes near the nuclear reactor, while Kyiv confirmed that Moscow was storing heavy weapons and explosives on land where the central reactor is located. has done.
Source: Lebanon Debate
