2023-09-11 12:56:18
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Russian military presence in the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and fighting near the plant pose a security risk. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said this on Monday before his organization’s Board of Governors in Vienna. Grossi referred to his most recent Ukraine report, in which he spoke of a “persistent, significant military presence” on the nuclear power plant site.
There is also talk of several military trucks in one of the turbine halls. In the document, Grossi also reported once more on the mines that had been observed between the outer and inner boundaries of the facility. However, heavy military equipment has not yet been discovered in the nuclear power plant, Grossi said at a press conference.
A team of IAEA observers has been constantly at the nuclear power plant near the front for a year. The experts have not yet been given unhindered access to all areas of the power plant by the Russian occupiers.
At the beginning of March 2022, Russia announced that it would take over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Damage to nuclear power plants and power lines during the war has fueled concerns regarding a nuclear accident at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Currently, artillery fire can be heard almost constantly nearby, said Grossi. “Every day we hope that the power plant doesn’t get hit or that the power supply doesn’t stop,” he added.
Grossi also announced on Monday that the IAEA is facing severe liquidity problems because a few large member countries have not paid their dues. He didn’t name names. The arrears amount to 220 million dollars (206 million euros). “If we don’t get the money we need, we may come to a standstill in a month,” Grossi said.
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