Reestablish connection between the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia and the International Atomic Energy Agency
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plantlocated in a territory of southern Ukraine seized by Russian troops, reestablished the connection with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)announced the Ukrainian operator of the plant Energoatom.
As the agency recalled in a statement published on Saturday night, the connection had been cut on May 30 when the Russians blocked the Ukrainian mobile operator Vodafone in Energodar, on the site of the plant, with whom the UN body has a “data transmission” contract.
“Thanks to the joint efforts of Energoatom and Vodafone, the connection between the plant’s nuclear monitoring servers and the IAEA was restored on Friday June 10,” Energoatom said.
during the blockor, all data “had been stored on secure servers” and “was transferred to the IAEA immediately upon reestablishment of connection”specified the statement.
The Argentine Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, had said this week that he was “actively” working to organize a visit to Zaporizhia, to which Ukraine opposes as long as the plant is controlled by the Russians, since he affirms that this would “legitimize” before the international community the occupation.
The center was taken by Russian soldiers in early March. At that time, the Kremlin argued that the protection of the plant aims to prevent leaks of nuclear and radioactive materials, and recalled that this facility is operated by a Ukrainian operator.
Since the beginning of the invasion, Russian forces have taken under their control two of the five nuclear power plants located on Ukrainian territory: Chernobyl (deactivated), scene of the most serious nuclear accident in history, and Zaporizhia (in service). , the largest in Europe. On April 2, Russia confirmed to the IAEA that its forces had withdrawn from the Chernobyl plant, handing over control of the plant to Ukrainian personnel.
Fighting intensifies in eastern Ukraine
Fighting continues in the strategic city of Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine, where a group of civilians began to be evacuated from a chemical plant where they were refugees, in a situation reminiscent of what happened in Mariupol.
The regional governor of Lugansk, Serhiy Haidai, also said that the situation is very complicated in Toshkivka, in the suburbs of Severodonetsk, but assured that the Ukrainian forces were able to stop the Russian advance near Popasna, located south of that city, reported the British newspaper The Guardian.
On Saturday, the official had said that most of Severodonetsk was under the control of Russian forces.
In that town in eastern Ukraine, which became the epicenter of the fighting, the pro-Russian separatists yesterday assured that there were around 400 combatants and 500 Ukrainian civilians sheltered in a chemical plant and indicated that they began an evacuation.
“The civilians held at the Azot plant are beginning to leave, they are leaving through an entry point outside the control of the Ukrainian military. The civilians are received by the allied forces and escorted to a safe place,” he said in his Twitter account. Telegram Rodion Miroshnik, the Moscow representative of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic, recognized by the Kremlin but not by the rest of the international community.
Miroshnik, who had previously stated that “life and proper treatment” would be guaranteed to the Ukrainian troops if they “release the hostages, stop their resistance and surrender unconditionally”, recounted that the “remnants of the Ukrainian forces control several buildings in the area of the first entry point of the plant”.
“Shots can be heard there, the Ukrainian military may still be holding several hundred civilians, who may be leaving their shelters as the allied forces tighten the siege,” he said, quoted by the Sputnik news agency.
The taking of Severodonetsk is important for Moscow because it would open the way to another large city, Kramatorsk, key to conquering the entire Donbass basin, a mostly pro-Russian region partially controlled by separatists since 2014.
