Moscow, Kyiv trade blame over nuclear plant

UN experts investigate

FE Team | Published: September 02, 2022 21:51:20

ZAPORIZHZHIA (Ukraine), Sept 02 (Reuters): Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over each others' actions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Friday as a team of inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog tried to check the safety of the facility and avert a potential disaster.
Ukraine's state nuclear company said the Interna-tional Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission had not been allowed to enter the plant's crisis centre, where Ukraine says Russian troops are stationed, and would struggle to make an impartial assessment.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Ukraine was continuing to shell the plant, raising the risk of a nuclear catastrophe.
The site, 10 km (6 miles) from Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro river, was captured by Russian forces soon after they invaded Ukraine in late February and has become the focus of concern.
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.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and his team spent several hours at Europe's largest nuclear power plant on Thursday and intended to return on Friday across the frontlines to assess damage.
Speaking after the initial visit, Grossi said the physical integrity of the plant had been violated several times and he was worried by the situation there.
Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom said it would be would be difficult for the IAEA team to make an impartial assessment due to Russian interference.
"The Russians did not allow the mission to enter the crisis centre, where Russian military personnel are currently stationed, whom the IAEA representatives were not supposed to see," Energoatom said in a statement.
"The (Russian) occupiers lie, distort the facts and evidence that testify to their shelling of the power plant, as well as the consequences of damage to the infrastructure," it said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the mission could still have a role to play despite the difficulties met.
"Unfortunately we haven't heard the main thing from the IAEA, which is the call for Russia to demilitarise the station," Zelenskiy said in a video streamed to a forum in Italy.