IAEA to dispatch monitoring missions to Ukrainian nuclear power plants
IAEA will also send the third expert mission to Chornobyl during the war (Photo:UNITED NATIONS/Facebook)
At Kyiv’s request, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will send safety monitoring missions to all Ukrainian nuclear power plants, the agency said in a press release on Nov. 14.
“Following a request from Ukraine, an agreement has been reached between the government and the IAEA to dispatch teams of Agency nuclear safety and security experts to the South Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, and Rivne Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs),” the message said.
The IAEA will also send its third expert mission to the inactive Chornobyl NPP since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The agency noted is has a permanent group of experts at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
“At all these facilities, the IAEA is also regularly carrying out safeguards activities, and has just completed in-field verification activities at three other locations in Ukraine at the request of its government, following allegations by the Russian Federation about activities there,” IAEA’s press-service added.
The message also mentioned the tense situation at ZNPP, where Ukrainian employees continue operating the facility under “relentless” stress from the presence of occupying Russian troops.
“The Ukrainian staff are carrying out their vital tasks under constant pressure,” the agency said.
“This can have a negative impact on nuclear safety and security and increase the risk of a nuclear accident, and it must stop. Exacerbating the situation, they are now also faced with conflicting instructions on how to run the plant.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu contacted his French, UK, and Turkish counterparts on Oct. 23, “alerting” them to Ukraine’s plans to allegedly stage false flag operations involving a “dirty bomb” device.
At Ukraine’s invitation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted in-field inspections of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, and did not find any undisclosed nuclear activity or materials, IAEA said on Nov. 3.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and has been occupied by Russian forces since March 4. Several ZNPP facilities have been damaged by Russian shelling, and the station's employees are captives of the occupying troops.
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