The level of radioactivity at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was “abnormal” and rose after Russian troops invaded the area – explained Argentine Rafael Grossi on Tuesday (26th), director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). factory visit.

“As for the level of radioactivity, I would say it’s abnormal. There were times when the levels went up and down because the heavy equipment that the Russian forces brought here moved,” Grossi said. “We watch it every day.” I said.

The director-general also denounced the Russian forces’ occupation of the facility for several weeks as “very, very dangerous”.

“The situation was absolutely abnormal and very, very dangerous,” the head of this UN agency told reporters during his visit to Chernobyl, exactly 36 years after the worst nuclear disaster in history.

As the IAEA already reported last Friday (22), Grossi is accompanied by a group of experts at the site to “deliver vital equipment” such as dosimeters and protective gear, and to carry out “radiological and other checks.”

These experts must repair the remote surveillance systems that stopped transmitting data to the IAEA headquarters in Vienna (Austria) shortly after the start of the war.

The Chernobyl power plant, located 150 kilometers north of Kiev, fell into the hands of the Russians on February 24, the first day of their occupation, and suffered a power and communication network outage. Russian troops withdrew from the nuclear facility on March 31.

Since then, the situation has gradually returned to normal, according to IAEA daily reports based on information from the Ukrainian nuclear regulator.

Rafael Grossi was already in Ukraine at the end of March to lay the groundwork for a technical assistance agreement. On this occasion, he visited the Yuzhno-Ukrainsk power station in the south, before meeting with Russian officials in Kaliningrad, on the Baltic coast.

Ukraine has 15 reactors at four operating plants and waste dumps like the Chernobyl power plant.

In 1986, a Chernobyl reactor exploded, contaminating much of Europe, particularly Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

The area within a 30-kilometer radius around the factory, known as the exclusion zone, is still heavily polluted and residence is prohibited.

In the context of this war, the European Union (EU) warned today of the possibility of a new nuclear disaster in Ukraine and asked Moscow to refrain from launching attacks on nuclear facilities.

Currently, Russian forces control the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In late February, the latter was hit by artillery fire, which set nearby buildings on fire, raising fears of disaster.

“Russia’s illegal and unjustified aggression in Ukraine once again jeopardizes nuclear security on our continent,” EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell and European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said in a joint statement.

Two European officials accuse Russian forces of “reckless damage to the affected nuclear facilities”.

According to Borrell and Simson, “interruption of normal operations, including personnel rotation, jeopardizes the safe operation of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and significantly increases the risk of accidents.”

“On the anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl accident, we reiterate our greatest concern at the nuclear safety risks posed by Russia’s recent actions at the Chernobyl site.”