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Ukraine opposed an IAEA visit to the facility - IAEA now on site and some will remain - Russia says Kyiv regime once again attempted to seize the plant with inspectors there

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  • Ukraine opposed an IAEA visit to the facility - IAEA now on site and some will remain - Russia says Kyiv regime once again attempted to seize the plant with inspectors there

    https://www.straitstimes.com/world/e...ukraine-agency
    Russia deploys missiles from Europe's largest nuclear plant: Ukraine agency
    Published 2 Hours Ago

    KYIV (AFP) - Russia is using Europe's largest nuclear power plant as a base to store weapons including "missile systems" and to shell the surrounding areas of Ukraine, an official with Kyiv's nuclear agency has said.

    Located on the Dnipro river in south-eastern Ukraine, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been under Russian control since the early weeks of Moscow's invasion, though it is still being operated by Ukrainian staff.

    The president of Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom said Friday (July 15) in a televised interview that the situation was "extremely tense", with up to 500 Russian soldiers controlling the plant.

    "The occupiers bring their machinery there, including missile systems, from which they already shell the other side of the river Dnipro and the territory of Nikopol," Mr Pedro Kotin said, referring to the city across the water.
    "They physically control the perimeter. The occupiers' heavy machinery and trucks with weapons and explosives remain on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," he said.

    "The pressure on the occupiers to leave the territory of the plant is insufficient," he added, before taking aim at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    "(The IAEA) is playing some political games, balancing between Russia and Ukraine," he said.

    The IAEA has said it needs to visit the plant to conduct essential maintenance work.
    Kyiv has opposed such a visit, with Energoatom declaring that an IAEA trip to the plant would only legitimise its occupation by "nuclear terrorists"....
    Last edited by Emily; August 4, 2022, 12:02 AM. Reason: Update title
    _____________________________________________

    Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

    i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

    "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

    (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
    Never forget Excalibur.

  • #2
    Experts previously said the risk of a nuclear catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was low but conflict raised the risk.

    Russia is firing artillery from a captured nuclear power plant, leaving Ukraine reluctant to shoot back

    Marianne Guenot

    Mon, August 1, 2022 at 8:25 AM
    • Russia is firing artillery from a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, per The New York Times.
    • Russia sparked outrage when it captured the Zaporizhzhia plant, and has now militarized it.
    • Experts say the risk of catastrophe is low — but Ukraine still feels unable to hit a nuclear site.
    ...
    Ukrainian troops have hesitated to retaliate, for fear that their strikes may hit one of Zaporizhzhia's six reactors or its stored nuclear waste.

    "How can we respond?" Colonel Serhiy Shatalov asked The Times. "This is a nuclear site."

    Ukraine has made some limited attempts to attack the site, including precision strikes with kamikaze drones, according to a tweet from Ukraine's defense ministry.
    _____________________________________________

    Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

    i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

    "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

    (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
    Never forget Excalibur.

    Comment


    • #3
      EDITH M. LEDERER
      UNITED NATIONS
      THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
      PUBLISHED 6 HOURS AGOUPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

      The U.N. nuclear chief warned that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine “is completely out of control” and issued an urgent plea to Russia and Ukraine to quickly allow experts to visit the sprawling complex to stabilize the situation and avoid a nuclear accident.

      Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press that the situation is getting more perilous every day at the Zaporizhzhya plant in the southeastern city of Enerhodar, which Russian troops seized in early March, soon after their Feb. 24. invasion of Ukraine.

      “Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated” at the plant, he said. “What is at stake is extremely serious and extremely grave and dangerous.”

      Grossi cited many violations of the plant’s safety, adding that it is “in a place where active war is ongoing,” near Russian-controlled territory.

      The physical integrity of the plant hasn’t been respected, he said, citing shelling at the beginning of the war when it was taken over and continuing information from Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of attacks at Zaporizhzhya.

      There is “a paradoxical situation” in which the plant is controlled by Russia, but its Ukrainian staff continues to run its nuclear operations, leading to inevitable moments of friction and alleged violence, he said. While the IAEA has some contacts with staff, they are “faulty” and “patchy,” he said.

      Grossi said the supply chain of equipment and spare parts has been interrupted, “so we are not sure the plant is getting all it needs.” The IAEA also needs to perform very important inspections to ensure that nuclear material is being safeguarded, “and there is a lot of nuclear material there to be inspected,” he said.

      “When you put this together, you have a catalogue of things that should never be happening in any nuclear facility,” Grossi said. “And this is why I have been insisting from day one that we have to be able to go there to perform this safety and security evaluation, to do the repairs and to assist as we already did in Chernobyl.”

      The Russian capture of Zaporizhzhya renewed fears that the largest of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors could be damaged, setting off another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world’s worst nuclear disaster, which happened about 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of the capital Kyiv.



      Comment


      • #4



        Gravitas: Ukraine war: Warnings of a nuclear emergency
        Aug 3, 2022 UN nuclear chief has said that the situation in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is 'completely out of control'. The plant is currently under Russian occupation. UN Secretary General has warned that humanity is one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation. Palki Sharma has the details.

        _____________________________________________

        Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

        i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

        "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

        (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
        Never forget Excalibur.

        Comment


        • #5

          Update 91 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

          International Atomic Energy Agency

          AUG 12 2022

          Ukraine has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about new shelling in the area of the country’s Zaporizhzya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), further underlining major nuclear safety and security risks at Europe’s largest such facility, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

          Ukraine said the latest incident – following last week’s shellingat the ZNPP – took place on Thursday afternoon and caused some damage, including of radiation monitoring equipment at the plant’s fire station. Ukraine initially also reported that a scheduled shift change had to be stopped, but it later told the IAEA that personnel rotation was back to normal. There were no casualties at the plant and its safety systems were not damaged, Ukraine added.

          Based on the information provided by Ukraine, IAEA experts noted that systems important for nuclear safety and security had not been affected. Nevertheless, renewed shelling at or near the ZNPP was deeply troubling for nuclear safety and security at the six-reactor facility, Director General Grossi said, reiterating his demand that all such military activity cease.

          Thursday’s shelling occurred on the same day as the IAEA Director General briefed the United Nations Security Council about the worsening nuclear safety and security situation at the ZNPP over the past week, emphasizing the urgent need for the IAEA to be able to send an expert mission to carry out essential nuclear safety, security and safeguards work there.

          The IAEA has not been able to visit the ZNPP since before the conflict began almost half a year ago. ...



          Comment


          • #6
            Seems unlikely that the Russians would shell a plant they control, so presumably the Ukraine forces are trying to strike Russian military elements around the plant.
            The Russians are letting the Ukraine technicians continue to operate the reactors, which feed the Ukraine grid. I assume that they supply power for the Donbas, which is why the Russians have not shut down the plant, even though they are trying hard to destroy the electrical substations that power the rail network, because that carries the Ukraine resupply.
            Afaik, prevailing summer winds are south, so fallout would hit Crimes, winter it is more easterly, so impacting Donbas and Russia. Do not see an accident here as useful to Russia.

            Comment


            • Emily
              Emily commented
              Editing a comment
              This could explain why Ukraine is being so bold in trying to retake the plant.

          • #7
            Podolyak: Russian troops shell nuclear plant to cut off Ukraine from energy.

            August 13, 2022 6:12 pm
            by The Kyiv Independent

            Mykhailo Podolyak, the advisor to the President's Office, said that Russian troops are shelling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to cut Ukraine's south from electricity and blame it on the Ukrainian Armed Forces. An unnamed engineer from the plant told BBC that Russian forces are deliberately destroying the powerlines.

            Mykhailo Podolyak, the advisor to the President's Office, said that Russian troops are shelling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to cut Ukraine's south from electricity and blame it on the Ukrainian Armed Forces. An unnamed engineer from the plant told BBC that Russian forces are deliberately destroying the powerlines.

            Comment


            • #8
              United Nations

              Secretary-General's statement on Zaporizhzhia Power Plant

              11 August 2022

              I am gravely concerned about the unfolding situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in southern Ukraine.

              I have appealed to all concerned to exercise common sense and reason and not to undertake any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant – the largest of its kind in Europe.

              Regrettably, instead of de-escalation, over the past several days there have been reports of further deeply worrying incidents that could, if they continue, lead to disaster.

              I am calling for all military activities in the immediate vicinity of the plant to cease immediately and not to target its facilities or surroundings.

              I urge the withdrawal of any military personnel and equipment from the plant and the avoidance of any further deployment of forces or equipment to the site. The facility must not be used as part of any military operation. Instead, urgent agreement is needed at a technical level on a safe perimeter of demilitarization to ensure the safety of the area.

              The United Nations continues to fully support the critical work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its efforts to ensure the safe operations of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant. I urge the parties to provide the IAEA mission with immediate, secure and unfettered access to the site.

              We must be clear that any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia or any other nuclear facilities in Ukraine, or anywhere else, could lead to catastrophic consequences not only for the immediate vicinity, but for the region and beyond. This is wholly unacceptable.

              Comment


              • #9

                NEXTA @nexta_tv
                People are leaving #Energodar and other nearby towns en masse amid constant shelling of the area.

                7:47 AM · Aug 13, 2022



                Comment


                • #10
                  Nuclear Catastrophe Fears Spur Convoys Fleeing Shelled Ukraine Power Plant

                  8/13/22 AT 4:37 PM EDT

                  BY XANDER LANDEN

                  Video footage on social media reportedly shows a convoy of vehicles fleeing the area of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (NPP) in Enerhodar, Ukraine, which has seen shelling in recent days, raising concerns about a possible nuclear accident.

                  A video shared by the Belarusian media outlet Nexta on Twitter on Saturday shows dozens of cars lined up on a road reportedly located near the plant. The cars can be seen at a standstill, with many people waiting and standing outside their vehicles.

                  "People are leaving #Energodar and other nearby towns en masse amid constant shelling of the area," Nexta wrote on Twitter.

                  Other Twitter users, including Maria Avdeeva, the research director at the European Expert Association in Ukraine, also shared the footage on Saturday.

                  "A huge convoy of cars is trying to leave occupied Enerhodar. People are leaving their homes next to Zaporizhzhya NPP, controlled by Russian terrorists, blackmailing the world with a nuclear catastrophe. Today Russians again shelled nuclear station," she wrote.

                  (videos)

                  A video shared to Twitter on Saturday shows a convoy of cars lined up on a road fleeing the area of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.


                  Comment


                  • #11
                    Please see:

                    Ukraine-joint statement on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant - European Union

                    14.08.2022

                    Joint Statement dated 12 August 2022 on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant 14.08.2022 Press and information team of the Delegation to UN and OSCE in Vienna (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/taxonomy/term/400300_en?s=66) This statement is issued on behalf of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,

                    Comment


                    • #12
                      Ukraine says it will target Russian soldiers at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

                      Sun 14 Aug 2022 08.06 EDT

                      Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv

                      Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said his forces will target Russian soldiers who shoot at or from Europe’s largest nuclear power station, amid warnings that the Kremlin may falsely claim Kyiv has directly struck the critical site.

                      Zelenskiy said anyone giving orders for attacks on the site or nearby towns and cities should face trial by an international court, as concern about the safety of the nuclear site remained high.

                      “Every Russian soldier who either shoots at the plant, or shoots using the plant as cover, must understand that he becomes a special target for our intelligence agents, for our special services, for our army,” Zelenskiy said in a video address on Saturday night.

                      He called for new sanctions against Russia that would “necessarily block the Russian nuclear industry”, and he argued that “absolutely all officials of the terrorist state, as well as those who help them in this blackmail operation with the nuclear power plant, must be tried by an international court.”

                      ... The Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak accused Russia of targeting the part of the nuclear power plant where the energy that powers the south of Ukraine is generated. “The goal is to disconnect us from the [plant] and blame the Ukrainian army for this,” Podolyak said.

                      The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is seeking to inspect the plant, has warned of a possible nuclear disaster unless fighting stops. Nuclear experts fear fighting might damage the plant’s spent fuel pools or the reactors, although the concrete walls of key areas are designed to withstand substantial impacts.

                      On Sunday, 42 countries including the US, Japan and the UK, plus the European Union, called on Russia to immediately withdraw military forces from the plant and the entire country to safeguard the site.



                      Comment


                      • Emily
                        Emily commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Since Russia managed to take the plant without a nuclear accident, Zelensky must be thinking Ukraine can re-take the plant in a like manner. But now those poor workers must be exhausted. How long can they continue this?

                    • #13

                      IAEA team plan to stay at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, chief says

                      Rafael Grossi praises work of plant staff and says inspectors will remain on Russian-occupied site

                      Rafael Grossi, the chief international nuclear inspector, has said he saw “the key things I needed to see” and his team was able to gather “a lot of information” during a long-awaited visit to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine.

                      The plant’s operator, Energoatom, said on Thursday that Grossi had left the site after a visit that was delayed by several hours because of shelling, but that five International Atomic Energy Agency representatives would remain, probably until Saturday.

                      “We have achieved something very important today and the important thing is the IAEA is staying here – let the world know that the IAEA is staying at Zaporizhzhia,” Grossi said in a video from Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

                      He said explanations given to the 14-strong team during the visit, which lasted “a few hours”, were “very clear”. He praised the “dedicated work” of the plant’s staff who were “carrying on professionally with their work” in “very difficult circumstances”...
                      _____________________________________________

                      Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

                      i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

                      "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

                      (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
                      Never forget Excalibur.

                      Comment


                      • #14

                        September 3, 20226:41 AM CDT Last Updated 18 hours ago
                        Russia says it foiled Ukrainian attempt to seize nuclear plant
                        Reuters

                        Sept 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces attempted to capture the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in an attack on the facility on Friday night, Russia's defence ministry said in its daily briefing on Saturday.

                        The ministry said a Ukrainian naval force of more than 250 troops attempted to land on the coast of a lake near the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine at around 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Friday.

                        "Despite the presence of representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Kyiv regime once again attempted to seize the plant," the defence ministry said.

                        Russia said its forces foiled the attack with strikes from military helicopters and fighter jets, destroying 20 Ukrainian vessels and causing others to scatter and call off the attack.

                        Reuters was unable to verify the report...
                        _____________________________________________

                        Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

                        i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

                        "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

                        (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
                        Never forget Excalibur.

                        Comment

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