UN Nuclear Watchdog “Extremely Concerned” About Russian Plant’s Safety

Growing concern about the safety of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine was recently cited by the energy watchdog of the United Nations (UN), which described the location’s security as “deteriorating.”

A drone strike that occurred near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) made a severe impact on the safety on the location, which has been occupied by Russia’s military since March 2022. This occupation came mere weeks after the Russian government initiated a widely scrutinized invasion of its neighbor more than two years ago. 

The situation at the ZNPP attracted the attention of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which released a statement on August 17 warning that the “nuclear safety situation” at the plant is “deteriorating” after the drone strike, which “hit the road” near the “plant site perimeter” on Saturday. 

The ZNPP informed the UN watchdog of the incident the day it occurred, specifying that the strike impacted the plant’s “essential cooling water sprinkler ponds.” These are located roughly 100 meters away from the Dniprovska power line, which is the last supply for the plant. No casualties were reported due to the strike and the plant’s resources are secure. The road connecting the two primary gates sustained damage.

According to TASS, the state media for Russia, Ukraine launched the strike on the morning of August 17. A drone from Moscow’s enemy released a shell on the road outside the plant, which is used by “personnel” at the plant “all the time.” Ukraine, for its part, has yet to publicly address the situation.

The embattled country has routinely warned, since the occupation of the ZNPP in 2022, that the plant could be shut down and inhibit civilian power access or even cause a nuclear disaster. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that the plant will not be able to “be normal” under Russian authority.

In the IAEA press release, the group’s general director, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that he is “extremely concerned” about the safety risks at the plant and urged for both sides to remain committed to the “five concrete principles” which were previously laid out regarding “protection of the plant.”