The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Raphael Grossi, is expected this Wednesday at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian forces and whose security is feared by the international community.
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Rafael Grossi and his delegation should arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon, the Tass news agency reported, citing an official of the Russian operator Rosenergoatom. This is Raffaele Grossi’s second visit to Zaporozhye, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, since the conflict began in February 2022. Arriving in Ukraine earlier this week, the head of the IAEA is expected to cross the border head-on to infiltrate facilities under Russian control. control
The power plant is in an “unstable state”.
The IAEA has a team of experts at the nuclear plant since September 2022. Raffaele Grossi has been consulting with Kiev and Moscow for several months to create a buffer zone around the area, which regularly falls victim to strikes and repeated blackouts. Ukraine, for its part, believes that only the withdrawal of the Russian army and personnel from the nuclear power plant will guarantee nuclear safety. As for Russia, it accuses Kiev of wanting to seize the site by force.
On March 22, Raphael Grossi warned that the factory was “unstable state“. According to IAEA data:last emergency power linedamaged since March 1, remains “down and under repair“. However, as a last resort, it provides an opportunity to ensure nuclear safety and security in Zaporozhye, particularly by freezing its reactors.
The plant depends on electricity supplied by one main external 750 kV line, and any damage (to this line) will result in the loss of all power to the plant, again according to the IAEA. On March 9, the giant power plant was disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid for 11 hours after the Russian attack. According to the Ukrainian operator Energoatom, which warned of the risk of a nuclear accident, emergency diesel generators were switched on to ensure a minimum supply of safety systems.
“We are playing with fire– warned Rafael Grossi. Head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, in his turn assessed.Russia threatens the security of the entire European continent, including Russia“.
18 air strikes
Electricity is needed to run the pumps, keeping the water circulating. Because it is necessary to continuously cool the fuel in the reactor cores as well as in the storage pools to avoid a meltdown accident and radioactive release into the environment, identical to the scenario of Fukushima in Japan after the tsunami. March 2011.
Raphael Grossi and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky already on Monday together visited the hydroelectric plant of the Zaporizhia region, which is responsible for supplying electricity to the nuclear power plant. The Ukrainian army recorded 18 Russian airstrikes, three missile strikes and 50 multiple missile strikes on Tuesday, the General Staff reported on Wednesday morning.
Russia has also revived its rhetoric of threats against Sweden and Finland, candidates for NATO membership, which the diplomat claims will become “legitimate targets“. “After the accession of Finland and Sweden, the total length of the borders between Russia and NATO will almost double“, argued Ambassador Viktor Tatarintsev in a text posted on the website of the Russian mission in Sweden.
“If anyone still thinks that this will somehow improve the security of Europe, rest assured that the new members of the hostile bloc will become a legitimate target of Russian countermeasures, including of a military nature.– warned the diplomat. The candidacies of Finland and Sweden, which are turning the page on decades of neutrality and withdrawal from military alliances, are a direct consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.