ZAPORIZHZHIA, Sep 1(ABC): UN inspectors said Wednesday they would seek to establish a permanent presence at a Russian-held plant in southern Ukraine to avoid “a nuclear accident” at the facility on the frontline of the fighting.
The 14-strong team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to arrive at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies inside Russian-held territory, on Thursday.
“My mission is… to prevent a nuclear accident and preserve the largest nuclear power plant in Europe,” IAEA director general Rafael Grossi told reporters after travelling from Kyiv to the city of Zaporizhzhia.
“We are preparing for the real work which begins tomorrow,” he said. “We are going to try to establish a permanent presence for the agency.”
Fresh shelling struck the town next to Europe s largest atomic facility on Wednesday, with the fate of the plant on the banks of the Dnipro River stoking global concern.
“The Russian army is shelling Energodar,” local military official Evhen Yevtushenko said on Wednesday morning, of the town next to the plant which had a pre-war population of 50,000 people.
Both sides have repeatedly traded blame over attacks in the area.
One of the shells hit Energodar s city council, Mayor Dmytro Orlov wrote on Telegram, posting pictures of the damaged building with a hole punched into the side.
“The Russian occupying forces must stop shelling the corridors to be used by the IAEA mission and not obstruct its activities at the plant,” foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.
– Explicit safety guarantees –
Although Zaporizhzhia is normally about a two-hour drive from the plant, it was not immediately clear how the IAEA team would reach the site which would involve crossing the frontline to enter Russian-held areas.
But Grossi said his team had received “explicit” safety guarantees from both sides for their visit which would last “a few days”.
“These are very complex operations,” he said.
The plant has been occupied by Russian troops since March and Ukraine has accused Russia of deploying hundreds of soldiers and storing ammunition there.