International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, after a visit to Kyiv yesterday, said “the threat to nuclear safety remains very real and ever-present” in Ukraine.
That’s according to his statement released Wednesday, Ukrinform reports.
According to Grossi, the presence of IAEA representatives at nuclear facilities in Ukraine remains necessary to help avoid the threat of a severe nuclear accident.
He added that during his visit on June 3, IAEA expert teams working at the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants had to proceed to shelters several times throughout the day due to “unusually frequent” air raid alerts.
“While there were no reports of attacks affecting the operation of the NPPs, the sound of air raid sirens blaring in Kyiv and elsewhere highlighted the continued dangerous situation, including for nuclear safety. My teams report that this was the most intense day of air raid alarms they had experienced since late last year,” Grossi said.
He added that as a result, “threats to nuclear safety continue to be very real and ever-present.”
One of the main priorities of the one-day visit to Kyiv – including a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky – was to discuss how the IAEA can help rebuild Ukraine’s damaged and worn-out nuclear energy infrastructure.
“While the IAEA remains committed to doing everything we can to help keep Ukraine’s nuclear facilities safe and secure until this devastating war ends, it is also crucial to prepare for the reconstruction phase, where the IAEA can also play an important role,” he said.
During the meeting, which was part of his 12th visit to Ukraine since February 2022, Grossi met with Energy Minister German Galushchenko and other senior officials in the basement of the Energy Ministry in central Kyiv due to an air raid alert. Later that day, he met with President Zelensky and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Grossi will also visit Russia this week for high-level talks on nuclear and physical nuclear security.
As Ukrinform reported, Grossi said after his visit to Ukraine that under the current conditions, it is impossible to resume the operation of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP due to a shortage of cooling water and unstable power supply.
Source: IAEA chief after visit to Kyiv: Threats to nuclear safety remain ever-present
