A team of UN experts arrived at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia atomic plant complex on Thursday to assess the risk of a radiation disaster after arrival was delayed by several hours due to shelling near the area.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of trying to sabotage the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) mission to the south-central power plant, which is controlled by Russian forces but operated by Ukrainian officials.
Conditions at the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, have been worsening for weeks as Moscow and Kiev regularly place blame for nearby bombings, fueling fears of a Chernobyl-style radiation disaster.
A Reuters reporter saw the IAEA team arrive in a large convoy with a strong Russian military presence nearby. A Ukrainian source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters the mission “could be shorter than planned”.
Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear company Energoatom said Russian bombing forced the shutdown of one of only two reactors operating at the site, while Moscow thwarted Ukraine’s attempt to seize the plant.
A Reuters reporter in the nearby Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar said a residential building was hit by bombing, forcing people to hide in a basement. It was not possible to determine who was firing.
Yevgeny Balitsky, sworn Russian governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said that at least three people were killed and five injured in a bomb attack on Enerhodar, Ukraine, which destroyed three children’s schools and the House of Culture. He said that the city’s electricity was cut off in the morning hours.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is doing everything so that the facility can operate safely and IAEA inspectors can complete their tasks.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told reporters on Thursday morning that he is aware of “increased military activity in the area” in the town of Zaporizhzhia, 55km from the power plant, but will continue his plan to visit the facilities and meet with personnel.
IAEA investigators, wearing bulletproof vests and traveling in white armored land cruisers with UN markings on their sides, were stranded at the first checkpoint near the city after the bombings were reported.
Russia accused Ukrainian forces of trying to seize the plant and also of bombing both the meeting place of the IAEA delegation and the nuclear plant itself.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers crossed the Dnipro River, which divides the controlled territory of the two sides, by boat at 6am local time, a “provocation” designed to disrupt the IAEA’s visit.
According to the ministry, “measures were taken” to destroy opposition troops, including the use of military aviation.
Vladimir Rogov, a local official stationed in Russia, later said “about 40” of 60 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Russian troops also captured three Ukrainian soldiers during the attack on the facility.
Ukrainian officials welcomed the IAEA’s visit, expressing their hope that it would lead to the demilitarization of the plant. They say that Russia used the power plant as a shield to hit the cities and that they knew it would be difficult for the Kyiv forces to counter.
source: Noticias
