The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, warned that parts of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant had been knocked out by the recent attacks, with the risk of a possible leak of “unacceptable” radiation.
“IAEA experts believe there is no immediate threat to nuclear safety,” but “that could change at any time,” Grossi said.
“Any military action that endangers nuclear security, nuclear safety, must be stopped immediately,” he added. “These military actions near such a large nuclear facility could have very serious consequences.”
The Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, occupies a sprawling site on the Dnipro River near the Russian-occupied town of Enerhodar. It has continued to operate at a reduced capacity since Russian forces captured it in early March, and Ukrainian technicians are still working.
Russia and Ukraine have so far refused to agree to an IAEA inspection of the plant and have accused each other of bombing the facility, an action the IAEA has said violates “indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security “.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, blamed Ukraine for the bombing on Thursday and urged supporters of Kyiv to halt the attacks and prevent a disastrous radiation leak.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed the finger at Moscow, which he said was endangering all of Europe.
“Only the complete withdrawal of the Russians from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the restoration of Ukraine’s full control over the situation around the plant will ensure the restoration of nuclear security for all of Europe,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom said on Thursday that 10 shells landed near the complex, preventing a delivery of the shift.
“For the safety of nuclear workers, the buses with the staff of the next shift were returned to Enerhodar,” the agency said. “Until the situation finally normalizes, workers from the previous shift will continue to work.”
Energoatom said radiation levels at the site remained normal, despite the new attacks.
Several Western and Ukrainian officials believe Russia is using the giant nuclear facility as a bastion to protect its troops and stage attacks because they assume Kyiv will not fire back and risk a crisis.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Moscow of using the plant to protect its forces, while Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in a recent security assessment that Russia’s actions at the complex sabotage the security of its operations.
The Ukrainian mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, said in late July that Russian forces had been observed using heavy weaponry near the plant because “they know very well that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not respond to these attacks , as they can damage the nuclear power. plant.”
The United States on Thursday backed Ukraine’s calls for a demilitarized zone around the facility, while at the UN, Bonnie Jenkins, US undersecretary for arms control and international affairs, say that Russia is responsible for the “nuclear risks” of the plant.
He warned the UN Security Council that “the many consequences of this conflict, including the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, will only end when Russia ends its war.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who earlier described the bombings at the plant as “suicidal”, said in a statement on Thursday that he was “gravely concerned”.
“We must be clear that any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia or any other nuclear facility in Ukraine, or anywhere else, could have catastrophic consequences not only for the immediate vicinity, but for the region and beyond,” he said. .
CNN’s Sugham Pokharel, Jennifer Hansler, Tim Lister, Yulia Kesaieva and Tara John contributed to this report.