As IAEA Proceeds To The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Tensions Mount

KYIV - On Wednesday, August 31st, The United Nations International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) dispatched its team to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), amid rising tensions between The Russian Federation and the sovereign state of Ukraine.

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According to Reuters, several reporters are embedded with the team and its convoy, including one from its own news agency, as the IAEA team of 13 set out from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, lead by Rafael Grossi himself.

The plan is to stay overnight near the city of Zaporizhzhia, before heading into the ZNPP on Thursday, in Russian-controlled territory.

Russia took control of the plant early on in its special military operation, back in March. Its military has been at the ZNPP since, as well as the Ukrainian workforce that runs the facility.

Russian officials, who are planning to receive the IAEA team, have suggested that the visit should not take more than one day to complete. However, the IAEA is planning a longer visit to the ZNPP and may stay for a few days, at the plant.


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We have a very important task there to perform - to assess the real situation there, to help stabilize the situation as we can. We are going to a war zone, we are going to be in occupied territory and this requires explicit guarantees, not only from the Russian Federation but also from Ukraine. We have been able to secure that,..." - Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director-General

According to Aljazeera, The main concerns surround damage that could've been sustained to the plant's infrastructure. Though 4 reactors have been shut down, the ZNPP contains a total of six water-cooled reactors which all contain uranium 235, built by the Soviet Union. Interruptions to the plant's power or water source could result in overheating and subsequent explosions, as was feared in Chernobyl in 1986, following its explosion and meltdown of Reactor #4.

Potassium-Iodide tablets have already been distributed to people that live in the surrounding areas of the ZNPP, due to fears of radiation release.

The Russian Federation and Ukraine have swapped blows of blame at each other, as artillery, missiles, and drone strikes have hit near and even at the plant, endangering the safety of the region.

While Ukraine says that Russia is shelling its own controlled area and has been using the plant as a shield to strike nearby targets, due to Ukraine's being unable to return fire because of the plant, Russia is saying that Kyiv is striking the plant in retaliation.


"The situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and in Enerhodar and surrounding areas remains extremely dangerous,... The risk of a radiation disaster due to Russian actions does not decrease for an hour... Active military engagement is now happening along the whole front line: in the south, in the Kharkiv region, in Donbas,..." -Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President

The Russian Defense Ministry has reported that the radiation levels at the ZNPP are normal and denies all reckless behavior, accused by Ukraine.

In Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov - Russia's permanent representative to the IAEA, has stated that Russia welcomes the mission and has made "significant contributions to the visit", according to RIA Novosti and reported by Aljazeera.


“We hope that the visit of the IAEA mission to the station will dispel numerous speculation about the [allegedly] unfavorable state of affairs at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,...” - Mikhail Ulyanov, IAEA Permanent Representative, The Russian Federation

Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director-General, is hoping and planning for a permanent base and mission at the ZNPP and plans as a priority to speak with the Ukrainian techs who are operating the plant.

It is still uncertain if this will be possible as Yevgeny Balitsky, the leader of the Russian-installed local government, has spoken to Interfax stating the IAEA inspectors have one day to complete their work. Nor was it clear if Russia is going to allow the IAEA to set up a permanent mission at the plant neither, though Russia is aware of Grossi's plans.

The United States and other countries have called for a shutdown of the plant, and a demilitarized zone declared in and around it. There are active engagements all over the south of Ukraine, and Ukraine has seen some significant progress in its offensive to retake the south, though any progress made by Ukraine has been denied by The Russian Federation.


Sources
Reuters | @IAEAorg - Twitter | Aljazeera | RIA Novosti

Photo Accreditation
IAEA Team Sets For Zaporizhzhia NPP 29 August 2022 | Author: Dean Calma, IAEA | CC-BY-2.0 | via Wikimedia Commons

Importance Level
MEDIUM
 

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