Two landmine explosions recently occurred outside the fence surrounding the nuclear power plant.
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, estimated on Thursday that we were “on borrowed time” concerning the “safety” of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporijjia, near which two mines recently exploded.
“If we do not act to protect the plant, our luck will run out sooner or later, with potentially serious consequences for human health and the environment”, warned Rafael Grossi in a press release issued in Vienna, where the headquarters of the IAEA.
“We are on borrowed time with regard to nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhia power plant”, the largest in Europe, which has been occupied by the Russians since March 2022, he added, reiterating fears already repeatedly expressed by his organization.
Two explosions occurred not far from the power plant
Two landmine explosions occurred outside the fence surrounding this site, the first on April 8 and another four days later, the statement said. It is not yet known what triggered the explosions, said Rafael Grossi, who met with senior Russian officials in Kaliningrad (western Russia) last week. He had gone to the Zaporijjia power plant shortly before, for the second time since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The director of the IAEA also warned Thursday that this site, which houses six nuclear reactors, continued to depend on a single power line still in operation, which constitutes “a major risk for nuclear safety and security”.
An emergency power line damaged on March 1 has still not been repaired, the UN agency said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency also noted that the personnel situation at the plant remained “complex and difficult”, including due to staff shortages.
