Source: AUN News

Speaking on Thursday, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi described his visit with IAEA experts to Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which has recently been repeatedly shelled, raising fears of a catastrophe.

“It is clear that the plant has experienced several violations of its physical integrity. We lack the components to judge whether that happened accidentally or on purpose. However, this is a reality we must acknowledge, and it cannot go on like way, he told the press.

“This is something that cannot happen, wherever you are, anywhere you stand, whatever you believe about this war, and for that reason, we’re trying to put in place certain processes and the presence of our people there to attempt to be in a better place.”

Six of the country’s fifteen nuclear reactors are housed in the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Since the early weeks of the seven-month-old war in Ukraine, it has been under Russian control.

Both sides claim the other fired shells at the factory.

Keeping one’s presence

Thursday marked the arrival there of an IAEA expert mission after months of diplomatic discussions.

The following day, Mr Grossi announced that the specialists had finished an initial tour of the plant but that there was still work to be done in a video he released on his official Twitter account.

He added, “Most importantly, we are establishing a continuous presence from the IAEA here,” before stating that “my staff is staying on.”

The IAEA expert mission team and Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi (second from left) arrive at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya.

To ensure nuclear safety and security at the plant, carry out necessary safeguard operations, and evaluate the working conditions of the Ukrainian workers there, the 14-member delegation left Vienna on Monday.

The two so-called impressive buildings of the plant, which are roughly 100 metres from the reactor buildings, and an overpass area, were the targets of new shelling last week.

Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network