IAEA Warns of Deteriorating Safety Conditions at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Following an explosion on a road near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which has been under Russian military control for two years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned of worsening safety conditions at the facility. On Saturday, August 27, Russia accused Ukraine of detonating a bomb on the road near the plant. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been targeted multiple times since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine two and a half years ago, with both countries accusing each other of the attacks. IAEA experts visited the area on Saturday after receiving reports of the explosion near the plant. They reported that the bomb was apparently an explosion from a drone that damaged the road between the two main gates of the plant. The IAEA team reported to the Director General of the agency, which is a UN nuclear watchdog, that military movements had been ongoing around the plant over the past week, and team members heard repeated sounds of explosions, heavy machine gun fire, and artillery. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of causing a fire at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, expressed concern on Saturday about the safety and security risks at the nuclear facility, which he described as 'deteriorating,' and urged both sides of the conflict to show 'maximum restraint.' Alexey Likhachev, the executive director of Rosatom, told the IAEA Director General in a phone call that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant had worsened due to Ukrainian attacks. Russia claimed that Ukraine is also preparing to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant on Russian territory. Throughout the war, the IAEA has consistently expressed concern that military action at the Zaporizhzhia facility could lead to a nuclear disaster. Previously, Russia and Ukraine had accused each other of causing a fire in one of the cooling towers of the plant that occurred last weekend. The IAEA, whose experts visited the mentioned tower, emphasized that the fire caused 'significant damage' but does not pose an immediate threat to the safety of the facility. Although Russia has occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility for two and a half years, it has failed in its intention to dominate the Zaporizhzhia region. Meanwhile, Ukraine has shifted the war into Russian territory with military attacks in the Kursk region over the past two weeks, changing the dynamics of the conflict.