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After a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin was published on October 5, Russia illegally seized the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The largest nuclear plant in Europe was invaded by Moscow troops from the beginning of the war, but was controlled by Ukrainian workers. For his part, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, announced that this week he will visit kyiv and Moscow to analyze the implications of this new decision with the “competent authorities”.
Following Russia’s recent enactment of the annexation of four Ukrainian territories, President Vladimir Putin ordered the seizure of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Ihor Murashov, who was the general director of the plant, was detained for several days and later expelled to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
“The government must ensure that the nuclear facilities of the central […] be accepted as federal property,” reads the decree published Wednesday by the Kremlin.
With six reactors of 1 gigawatt each, the Zaporizhia NPP is designed to typically produce more than a quarter of Ukraine’s electricity and remains central to the country’s power grid, as well as a major source of revenue. for the export of electricity.
“Russia has been deliberately creating instability around the plant in an attempt to force the world to decrease its support for Ukraine out of fear of nuclear catastrophe,” said Volodymyr Omelchenko, head of energy programs at the Razumkov Center think tank. .
Similarly, he said that Zaporizhia produces approximately 27% of the total electricity in the territory. According to the expert, Russia “has been trying to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian power grid and create the necessary infrastructure to use the plant to supply electricity to the Russian power grid and to the annexed Crimea.”
The IAEA director seeks to mediate between the two parties to avoid a nuclear disaster
Rafael Grossi, director of the IAEA, announced that he will make a trip to Moscow and kyiv in order to consult “with the competent authorities” about Russia’s intention to seize the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
The head of the UN nuclear body “will be in kyiv this week and later in the Russian Federation, where he will also continue talks to agree and implement a nuclear security protection zone around the Zaporizhia plant as soon as possible,” the agency said in a statement.
The IAEA has denounced a latent risk of a nuclear accident at the plant in recent months, due to the tense situation after the Russian occupation since March 4, becoming the target of different explosions and bombings.
On September 1, Grossi visited the plant together with a group of experts to analyze the security situation at the plant. In the same way, two officials stayed permanently at the plant.
The plant has witnessed several attacks, of which kyiv and Moscow blame each other, while the international community’s concern about a possible nuclear disaster is growing. On August 16, a major substation exploded on the annexed Dzhankoy Peninsula.
The plant subsequently stopped producing electricity briefly on August 26, after all power lines connected to Ukraine’s power grid were damaged by shelling in the area.
IAEA members “have learned that the Ukrainian nuclear power plant plans to restart one of its six reactors, which are currently in cold shutdown,” Grossi reported.
It has also requested that with the Russian appropriation of the plant, “the personnel in charge of the plant be allowed to fulfill their duties of security, protection and have the ability to make decisions without undue pressure.”
IAEA observers recently reported new bombings in the industrial area, located between the Zaporizhia plant and the city of Enerhodar, without reporting major damage.
With EFE and AFP
