The head of the UN nuclear agency postponed his visit to a Ukrainian power plant due to fighting in the area.

The employer International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) From ONU, Raffaele Crocipostponed a planned trip to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Russian-held Zaporizhia; Until it is safe to travelA senior Ukrainian government official said Wednesday.

Croci was expected to visit the facility on Wednesday. Following talks in Kyiv on Tuesday, But a diplomatic source said the visit would be delayed by “a few hours”..

“Looking forward to your safe travels”, said a senior official of the Ukrainian government, who spoke with Reuters On the condition of anonymity. The official did not say when Krosi would arrive at the plant in southeastern Ukraine.

Russian news agency interface Grassi will visit the plant on Thursday, citing a Russian-installed local official, without giving reasons for the postponement.

Moscow and Kiev have reported heavy fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine since the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Croci, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Kyiv on Tuesday. “Extremely concerned” about possibility of nuclear plant caught in Ukrainian counterattack The territory occupied by Russia should be restored.

The IAEA said on Sunday it needed access to the site near the Zaporizhzhia plant Check water levels After the nearby reservoir lost its contents due to the destruction of the Kajovka dam below.

Both sides accused each other of damaging the embankment which caused the catastrophic floods. Western countries say they are still gathering evidence, but Ukraine would have had no reason to cause such a disaster.

After the February 2022 invasion, Russian forces seized a hydroelectric dam and nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant uses a cooling pond to prevent its six reactors from overheating, which could have been catastrophic.

Ukraine’s Nuclear Energy Agency said on Tuesday that the pool’s level was stable and the water level was high enough.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he addressed reporters in Kew. Grossi noted that there was no immediate danger, but it was a “serious situation.” He said his visit to the largest plant in Europe would allow him to assess the risk more accurately.

Ukrainian nuclear officials said the Khakovka reservoir was normally used to fill the pool, but could no longer do so now that its water level is falling.

Instead, the pond, separate from the reservoir, can be filled using boreholes, they said.

(With information from Reuters)

Continue reading: