Austria.- Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations before the United Nations Security Council on Monday over attacks against the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director Rafael Mariano Croci. “Dangerously Close to Nuclear Catastrophe.”
Grossi said his agency had been able to confirm three attacks on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant since April 7, without assigning blame.
“These reckless attacks must stop immediately,” he told the Security Council. “Although fortunately they did not result in a radiological incident in this case, they significantly increase the risk where nuclear safety is already at risk.”
Because the drones that struck the plant were controlled remotely, it is impossible to determine with certainty who launched them, Grassi told reporters after the meeting.
“To say something like that, we have to have proof,” he opined. “A large number of these attacks have been carried out by drones.”
Zaporizhzhia is located in Russian-controlled territory in southeastern Ukraine, and has six nuclear reactors.
Fears of a nuclear disaster have persisted since Russian forces occupied the plant after an invasion in February 2022. Continued fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, as well as the delicate supply situation at the nuclear plant, have raised the possibility of a disaster. .
Ukraine and its allies again on Monday blamed Russia for the facility's risks. The US accused Russia of “not caring about these risks”.
“If you care, you don't take control of the plant by force,” he told the Security Council, an initiative of the United States and Slovenia.
Russia, for its part, claimed responsibility for the attack on Ukraine.
“The IAEA report does not indicate which party is responsible for this attack,” said Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia. “We know exactly who he is.”
“Over the past few months, these types of attacks have not only resumed but have intensified significantly,” he added.
The organization's Ukrainian ambassador, Serhiy Kislitsia, described the attacks as “a well-planned false flag operation by the Russian Federation” which he assured was aimed at distracting the world from an invasion by its neighbour.
The Zaporizhia Power Plant is one of the 10 largest nuclear power plants in the world and the largest in Europe. Fighting in southern Ukraine, where the plant is located, has raised the possibility of a nuclear disaster like the one at Chernobyl in 1986.
Neither country has made significant progress in recent months on the 1,000-kilometer front that runs through eastern and southern Ukraine. Drones, artillery and missiles have become the main weapons.
Russia and Ukraine have frequently exchanged accusations over the Zaporizhia plant.
The IAEA said the most recent attacks did not endanger the facility, which was designed to withstand a direct hit from a commercial airliner.
The plant's six reactors have been shut down for months, but power and qualified personnel are still needed to operate critical cooling systems and other safety functions.
