Authorities to hand IAEA mission Ukrainian shells fired at Zaporozhye
3 Min Read
Evidence for Ukrainian shelling on the nuclear power plant will be presented to the IAEA mission.
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An overview of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in the Zaporozhye region, in this picture released on August 18, 2022 (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)
Enerhodar's authorities look to give the IAEA mission, which is making its way for the inspection of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the shells that were fired at the residents by the Ukrainian military, according to Enerhodar's administrative authorities.
"We have collected all these fragments in areas of Enerhodar and nearby settlements that have been shelled. Such terrifying shell fragments left by Ukrainian militants were found near residential buildings, and we are ready to give this collection to IAEA representatives," the administration official said.
The IAEA experts mission which is headed by Director General Rafael Grossi arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday to inspect the power plant, which has been shelled over and over by the Ukrainian military.
Read more: Kiev using toxic agents against Russian military in Zaporozhye
According to Ukrainian broadcaster 1+1, the inspecting mission consists of 13 experts, without representatives from the US, UK, or Russia.
The inspection will be ongoing till September 3.
Today, Tuesday, the Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack on Enerhodar near the ZNPP, using a minimum of 20 large-caliber artillery shells. The nuclear power plant is Europe's largest, and an accident will have dire consequences; a nuclear disaster whose effect will live on generations, to say the least.
What you need to know
Russian forces have had complete control over the Zaporozhye NPP since March, but drone attacks by Ukrainian forces have regularly targeted the facility, leading Russia to request help from the IAEA to address security issues.
Two weeks ago, Russia accused the office of the United Nations Secretary-General of obstructing the work of IAEA experts and preventing them from visiting the NPP in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow had underlined several times that a trip by an IAEA delegation to the NPP through Kiev and then across the contact line will be very dangerous.
It is noteworthy that according to the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the Russian Defense Ministry is considering the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP by Ukrainian forces an act of nuclear terrorism under a UN convention adopted by a resolution of the UN General Assembly.
The official said if an accident were to happen, which the shelling could potentially cause, the effects would surpass the scale of Chernobyl and Fukushima - the entire territories of Ukraine, Donetsk, Lugansk, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Romania would be contaminated by nuclear waste.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian army sabotaged a high-voltage power line that provides electricity to nearby regions, which sparked a "power surge" at the station, causing smoke in a switchgear used to protect electrical equipment.
Russia has rejected previous claims, made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that it uses the Zaporozhye NPP as a military base.
