Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced on Monday that he will visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant ‘later this week’ to assess the damage caused by the ongoing conflict. ‘The day has come, the IAEA’s Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia is now on its way,’ Grossi wrote on Twitter, adding that he will be accompanied by his team.
Fears of a radiation leak have been raised as a result of the conflict between Russian and Ukrainian forces near the nuclear plant. Both sides have accused each other of shelling in nearby areas in recent days, and the IAEA has expressed concern about the effects of the ongoing fighting.
Both the UN and the IAEA urged the parties not to shell near the plant for safety reasons, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denied any change in Russia’s stance. ‘The Russian military must leave the plant,’ he tweeted.
The situation at the power plant is complicated at the moment because, while it is operated by a Ukrainian crew, control remains with Russian military, which took over the facility in March. Earlier, the RIA news agency reported that Ukrainian forces attacked a helicopter repair plant in the region on Sunday. According to the report, Russia was also able to destroy an enemy drone.
Local governor Oleksandr Starukh, on the other hand, took to Telegram to publicly declare that Russian forces were shelling Zaporizhzhia, causing huge damage to buildings.
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