IAEA sounds the alarm: more than 20 Russian drones circled near Ukrainian NPPs
11 September 00:36
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed concern about Russian drones near the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants last night. This is stated on the agency’s website, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
What happened
On the night of September 10, members of the IAEA team working at the Khmelnytsky and Rivne NPPs heard drones and gunshots while in their living quarters in the towns of Netishyn and Varash, located just a few kilometers from the plants.
According to the agency’s missions, 13 drones were spotted near the Rivne NPP, and the Khmelnytsky plant reported nine drones flying about three kilometers from the facility.
IAEA response
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed serious concern about the situation:
“I am deeply concerned about the events of last night. According to our teams on the ground, there was extremely large-scale military activity near these two nuclear power plants, which should never happen. I again call for maximum military restraint in the vicinity of such facilities. A serious nuclear accident is in no one’s interest and must be prevented at all costs.”
Members of the agency’s missions in the towns of Varash and Netishyn have heard the sound of drones and gunfire at night.
Why it is dangerous
The IAEA Director General said that such military activities near the nuclear power plant pose a threat to the principles of nuclear safety during an armed conflict.
“The world’s attention – and rightly so – is focused on the extremely difficult situation at Zaporizhzhya NPP, which is located at the front line. However, the situation with nuclear safety and security remains extremely vulnerable at four (including the South Ukrainian NPP and the non-operational Chornobyl NPP – ed.) other sites where our teams are working, as was clearly demonstrated last night,” Grossi emphasized.
In addition to ZNPP, other nuclear facilities remain at risk, such as the South Ukrainian NPP and the Chornobyl NPP, where the Agency’s teams also work.
It should be noted that Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the largest in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022 – in fact, since the first weeks of the full-scale invasion. The plant is located in the city of Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, which was seized by Russian troops.
The seizure
On the night of March 3 to 4, 2022, Russian troops shelled ZNPP, causing a fire to break out on the territory. Despite the risk of a nuclear catastrophe, fighting continued on the territory of the plant. After that, the Russian military occupied the site and took control.
International concern
The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has repeatedly stated the threat of a nuclear accident due to constant shelling, mining, power outages, and restrictions on access to the facility.
The agency’s experts are constantly at ZNPP, but their access to the facilities is often restricted by the Russian administration.
