UN atomic watchdog says to use Russia to staff Ukrainian nuclear power plant
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A view of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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VIENNA – International atomic monitors are for the first time travelling through Russian territory rather than Ukraine to reach Europe’s biggest nuclear-power plant, said three diplomats briefed on the matter – a blow to Kyiv’s desire to avoid international recognition of the Kremlin’s ownership claims.
The International Atomic Energy Agency made the decision after concluding that the line of contact separating the two armies has become too dangerous to cross, according to the Vienna-based diplomats, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information. Three years into the conflict, intense fighting is changing the parameters of the agreement, they said.
The move represents a significant departure from the original plan to station IAEA monitors at the Russian-occupied power plant in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine agreed to the deployment – intended to avert a potential nuclear accident – with the understanding that personnel would travel to and from the plant over Ukraine territory.
A spokesperson for the IAEA declined to comment until the latest rotation of personnel is complete.
Ukraine has sent a note of protest to IAEA management, condemning the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state, the country’s foreign ministry wrote on its website.
IAEA monitors travelling to Zaporizhzhia through Ukraine have been attacked twice
The current team of monitors has been stationed at the plant around the clock for almost three months.
Ukraine, along with some European countries, wanted the IAEA to attempt to cross the line of contact again, but that request was deemed too risky by agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, according to officials.
The IAEA decision is the latest diplomatic setback for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the US deepened its split with allies by refusing to condemn Russia’s invasion. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is looking to end the war without input from European nations or Ukraine, saying he’s in “serious discussions” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The site surrounding the Zaporizhzhia plant, which was originally designed to generate about a fifth of Ukraine’s power, has been subject to frequent aerial attack since the war began. While the Russian engineers in control of the facility have shut down all six reactors as a safety precaution, Kremlin nuclear giant Rosatom Corp is planning for a restart. BLOOMBERG
