Russia has cited security concerns in preventing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from gaining access to the reactor halls of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye, which it has occupied for almost two years.
On Wednesday, the UN agency expressed regret that its experts were not allowed access to parts of the plant.
“For the past two weeks, they have not been allowed access to the reactor halls of power units 1, 2 and 6,” the UN agency said in a statement, considering this an unprecedented situation.
The head of the Russian nuclear agency Rosenergoatom, Renat Kartchaa, justified his decision with security measures.
“When the reactor compartment is sealed and isolated, plant personnel can only be present in emergencies or to carry out routine work,” he said, according to the French news agency AFP.
“The compartment, and in particular the sealed compartment, is not a museum or a free movement zone,” he added.
The plant, Europe’s largest, has been under Russian control since March 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The plant has suffered several power outages related to the fighting, and the Russian army regularly accuses Ukraine of making threats.
This is a dangerous situation that raises fears of a serious nuclear accident, despite the presence of IAEA experts on the site.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev on this issue arise periodically, and the IAEA acts as a mediator, guaranteeing the safety of the site together with the Russians.
On Wednesday, the UN agency expressed regret that its experts were not allowed access to parts of the plant.
The Zaporozhye power plant is located in Energodar, on the banks of the Dnieper River, which serves as a natural front line between the Russians and Ukrainians.
The place is also located 50 kilometers in a straight line southwest of the city of Zaporozhye, the capital of the region of the same name.
Zaporozhye is one of four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, along with Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson.
Russia already annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.
Ukraine and most of the international community do not recognize the annexation, and Kyiv is even demanding the withdrawal of the Russian army from the entire territory of the country, including Crimea.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.