UN watchdog staff warn of Russian mines around occupied nuclear plant
25 July 2023, 10:14
International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi condemned the presence of explosives at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The UN atomic watchdog staff at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine have reported seeing anti-personnel mines around the site as Kyiv pursues a counter-offensive against the Kremlin’s forces after 17 months of war.
“Having such explosives on the site is inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant staff,” International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi said.
However, any detonation of the mines, located between the site’s internal and external perimeter barriers, “should not affect the site’s nuclear safety and security systems”, the statement added.
The IAEA has repeatedly expressed concern about the facility, which is one of the 10 biggest in the world, amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The UN agency has officials stationed at the plant, which is still run by its Ukrainian staff.
The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.
Ukraine’s military intelligence said last month that Russia is planning a “large-scale provocation” at the nuclear power plant in the south east of the country and had placed suspected explosives on the roof.
Russia has alleged that Ukraine is planning a false flag attack involving radioactive materials.
The IAEA statement said that the Russian occupiers have not granted its staff access to the roofs of the reactors and their turbine halls.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday that air defences intercepted Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia fired at Kyiv overnight, in what was the sixth drone attack on the capital this month.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 25 July 2023.
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No casualties or damage were reported, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv regional military administration.
The Russian Defence Ministry said a Russian patrol ship destroyed two Ukrainian sea drones that attacked it in the Black Sea early on Tuesday.
A spokesperson said the crew of the Sergey Kotov patrol ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was not hurt in the attack 370 km south west of the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
Ukrainian officials said that Russians used cluster munitions in an attack on Kostiantynivka, in the eastern Donetsk region, late on Monday.
Rockets hit a recreational pond, killing a 10-year-old boy and wounding four other children ranging in age from five to 12, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional military administration.
Russia and Ukraine have both used cluster munitions throughout the war, and the US has recently provided them to Ukraine.
Western analysts said on Tuesday that Russia’s recent attacks on Odesa and other parts of southern Ukraine have employed missiles that were originally developed to destroy aircraft carriers.
Each missile weighs 5.5 metric tons, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an assessment.
In only a week, Russia has fired dozens of missiles and drones at the Odesa region, hitting a cathedral on Monday. The strikes have come since Moscow broke off from a landmark grain deal a week ago. Odesa is a key Ukrainian hub for exporting grain.
The attacks have damaged several grain silos at Chornomorsk Port, south of Odesa, and Russian drones have hit docks on the Danube River, approximately 200m from the Romanian border, according to the assessment.
