Nuclear plant blamed on Ukraine and Russia by UN experts

Photo Source: By IAEA Imagebank

An inspector team from the UN nuclear watchdog that was trying to check the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant traded accusations on Friday with Ukraine and Russia.

Despite Ukraine's assertions that Russian troops are stationed at the plant's crisis center, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission had not been allowed to enter.

Ukraine is continuing to shell the plant, increasing the risk of a nuclear crisis, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, Russian forces captured the site, which is 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro river.

It has come under repeated shelling over the past month, with Kyiv and Moscow trading blame for the firing. The plant is still run by Ukrainian staff and Russia has rejected calls for it to withdraw its troops.

On Friday he said he expects to produce a report early next week, and two IAEA experts would stay on at the plant for the longer term.

3 Sep 2022