The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the establishment of a security zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russia and the site of recent shelling. “The current situation is untenable,” the UN atomic watchdog said in a report on Tuesday after it sent a team to the plant last week. The occupation of the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has sparked fears of a nuclear disaster as both sides trade blame for shelling the site. “There’d an urgent need for interim measures to prevent a nuclear accident arising from physical damage caused by military means,” the IAEA said. “This can be achieved by the immediate establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone,” it added in its report.
“The IAEA recommends that shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities,” it said.
IAEA report: conditions of Ukrainian staff operating the plant should be improved
The UN nuclear watchdog on Tuesday listed damage to parts of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant and recommended that the conditions Ukrainian staff operating the plant are working in should be improved.
“Ukrainian staff operating the plant under Russian military occupation are under constant high stress and pressure, especially with the limited staff available,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. “This is not sustainable and could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety.”
The report also added: “The situation in Ukraine is unprecedented. It is the first time a military conflict has occurred amid the facilities of a large, established nuclear power program.
“A nuclear accident can have serious impacts within the country and beyond its borders, and the international community is relying on the IAEA to perform a rigorous assessment of the situation and to keep it informed with accurate and timely information.”
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