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April 11 () –
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned this Thursday that the recent incidents at the Zaporizhia plant, with Russians and Ukrainians blaming each other for responsibility, have “significantly” increased the risks of a nuclear accident. .
“The direct attacks against the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have marked a significant escalation of the dangers to nuclear security in Ukraine,” Grossi said in a meeting with the IAEA Board of Governors.
Grossi has announced that he plans to meet next week with the United Nations Security Council, where he will convey this concern. “It is of utmost importance to ensure that these reckless attacks do not usher in a new and seriously dangerous war front,” he said.
“I call on the military authorities to refrain from any action that violates the five basic principles of the IAEA to prevent a nuclear accident and guarantee the integrity of the plant,” he urged.
Likewise, he has called on the international community to work “actively” to reduce tensions, while emphasizing that “no one can benefit or obtain any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities.”
Although he stressed that Sunday's attacks on the Zaporizhzhia power plant facilities did not “seriously” compromise security, he clarified that “it would be irresponsible (…) to assume that future attacks will not do so.”
As has already happened these days and in similar episodes, kyiv and Moscow officials at the IAEA have been holding each other responsible for what happened. Grossi, for his part, has kept his distance and avoided apportioning blame.
