The IAEA warns that the Zaporizhia power plant is “dangerously” close to a nuclear accident

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossiwarned this Monday that the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhiaoccupied by Russia since March 2022, comes “dangerously” close to an accident which if produced would have “enormous radioactive consequences”.

“We cannot rest on our laurels. We must do everything in our power to minimize the risk of a major nuclear accident,” Grossi added during the special session dedicated to this issue at the United Nations Security Council.

The representative of the IAEA, which monitors what was the largest nuclear power plant in Europe when it was fully operational, called for respect for the five principles established last year in the Security Council's own maintain plant integrityamong them not to attack the plant in any way, which was violated on April 7.

[La ONU denuncia un ataque “temerario” contra la central nuclear de Zaporiyia en Ucrania]

That day, drone raids took place against the dome of one of the six reactors, and Russia and Ukraine accused each other of these attacks.

In fact, the representative of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the United Nations, Vasili Nebenzia, argued this Monday that they have never attacked the plant and that they have not launched attacks from it either.

“Russia is making every effort to defend the security of the plant against Ukrainian attacks and provocations. Whether others dislike it being under Russian control is another matter,” Nebenzia said.

However, his Ukrainian counterpart, Sergiy Kyslytsya, called it “far-fetched” to blame his country for the attacks and alluded to an alleged Russian “militarization” of the plant to be protected because it was carried out from a critical infrastructure.

“What happened on April 7 was a well organized false flag operation to divert attention from the main issue of this problem: the eviction of Russian military personnel from our headquarters,” Kyslytsya said.

When asked by the press at the end of the session about the authorship of the attacks, Grossi considered that they currently do not have “irrefutable evidence” to be able to make such a statement, but that now it is important for the parties to see that the IAEA as a ” referee” is on the field and “with the red and yellow card in his hand.”

Minutes earlier, during the assembly, the deputy representative of the United States to the UN, Robert Wood, did indicate that the current risk in Zaporizhia is a “direct result” of Vladimir Putin's “decision” to wage an “illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked” against Ukraine.

While China asked Russia and Ukraine to respect the five fundamental principles and seven indispensable pillars of nuclear security of the IAEA, as well as to establish a dialogue table.

“In the face of this challenge, They must interact with each other and reach a consensus to avoid a catastrophe,” said Geng Shuang, China's deputy representative to the United Nations.