JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi security at the Zaporizhzhia Buklir Power Plant could not be guaranteed, as long as the facility was occupied by Russian troops as part of what he described as Moscow's "radiation spreading".
President Zelenksy met with Grossi in Zaporizhia City, which is located in Ukraine-controlled territory, about 50 km (30 miles) northeast of a nuclear power plant of the same name.
To Grossi, President Zelensky said staff at PLTN Zaporizhia were under constant pressure from Russian occupation forces, which he said failed to enforce safety rules and had disrupted the technological process.
"Without an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops and staff from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and adjacent areas, any initiative to restore nuclear security and safety will surely fail," President Zelensky said.
Moscow forces are known to have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear power facility, at the start of the war.
In its development, Russian and Ukrainian troops accused each other of the risk of a nuclear accident for firing each other around the plant.
Six Zaporizhzhia PLTN reactors are currently in dead mode. This facility receives the electricity needed to prevent reactor explosions through only one remaining power line.
The power plant had to switch to an emergency diesel generator to power an important cooling system, as power from the main grid was cut off as a result of the shooting. Earlier this month, fighting disrupted electricity supply to the reactor for half a day, forcing staff to activate backup generators.
This condition made Grossi worried.
"Every time we throw dice," he told his agency at the last power outage.
"And if we let this continue from time to time, then one day our luck will run out," he continued.
In a tweet posted on Monday, Grossi said he and President Zelensky had a "rich exchange" on the protection of power plants and staff.
Last January, the IAEA said it placed a team of experts in Ukraine's four nuclear power plants to reduce the risk of accidents, including the now-closed Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Director General of the IAEA @rafaelmgrossi and @ZelenskyyUa visited 🇺🇦Ukraine's #Dnieper hydroelectric station - an essential component for nuclear safety at the #Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. pic.twitter.com/0ADlfuie4D
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) March 27, 2023
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