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| UN Nuclear Agency Concerns Security at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant |
edisiindonesia.com- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday it was "still very concerned" about the safety and security of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia facility located in the middle of a battleground between Ukrainian and Russian forces in southern Ukraine. .
"The situation is now untenable, and the best way to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and its people is to end armed conflict now," the UN nuclear agency said in a new report, after IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and a team of observers visited the site last week. , even when shooting occurs near the facility.
The IAEA said they found severe damage at the factory but did not blame the two warring parties.
Russia, whose troops controlled the facility from the start of its invasion, and Ukraine, whose engineers ran the facility, each accused the other of firing on the facility.
IAEA inspectors said they found Russian troops and equipment inside, including military vehicles parked near the turbines. "Ukrainian staff who manage the facility are under Russian military occupation and are under constant pressure, especially with the limited staff available," the IAEA report said.
Russia Allows UN Inspection of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
Russian President Vladimir Putin said UN officials would be granted permission to visit and inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex.
The Kremlin made the announcement after a phone call between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.
It came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the BBC he was "concerned" about the situation at the plant.
He said military activity around Zaporizhzhia should end and urged Moscow to give inspectors access.
The site has been under Russian occupation since early March but Ukrainian technicians are still operating it under Russian direction.
After a telephone conversation between the leaders of France and Russia, the Kremlin said that Putin had agreed to provide "necessary assistance" to UN investigators to access the site.
"Both leaders noted the importance" of sending IAEA experts to the factory for an assessment of "the situation on the ground," the Kremlin said.
The director general of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), welcomed Putin's remarks, and said he was willing to lead a visit to the plant himself.
"In this extremely volatile and fragile situation, it is imperative that no new actions are taken that could further jeopardize the safety and security of one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world," said Rafael Grossi.
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