The Zaporizhzhia plant was captured by Russian forces in early March but it is still run by its Ukrainian technicians. Photo: Reuters
The Zaporizhzhia plant was captured by Russian forces in early March but it is still run by its Ukrainian technicians. Photo: Reuters
The Zaporizhzhia plant was captured by Russian forces in early March but it is still run by its Ukrainian technicians. Photo: Reuters
The Zaporizhzhia plant was captured by Russian forces in early March but it is still run by its Ukrainian technicians. Photo: Reuters

UN's nuclear watchdog chief condemns shelling at Zaporizhzhia plant


Neil Murphy
  • English
  • Arabic

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has raised grave concerns about shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, saying the action risked causing a disaster.

Both sides accused each other on Saturday of engaging in "nuclear terrorism".

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear power company, blamed Russia for the damage while Russia's defence ministry accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant, which is in the country's south-east.

"I'm extremely concerned by the shelling yesterday at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which underlines the very real risk of a nuclear disaster," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Mr Grossi, who leads the UN's nuclear watchdog, urged all sides in the Ukraine conflict to exercise the "utmost restraint" around the plant.

Shells hit a high-voltage power line on Friday at the facility, prompting its operators to disconnect a reactor despite no radioactive leak being detected.

The plant was captured by Russian forces in early March in the opening stage of the war but it is still run by its Ukrainian technicians.

Ukraine crisis latest — in pictures

  • A Russian multiple-launch 'Hurricane' rocket system in action during battles in an undisclosed area in Ukraine. EPA
    A Russian multiple-launch 'Hurricane' rocket system in action during battles in an undisclosed area in Ukraine. EPA
  • The Turkish bulk carrier 'Osprey S' is anchored off the shore near Istanbul. The vessel was expected to arrive in Ukraine's Chornomorsk port carrying grain, becoming the first ship to arrive at a Ukrainian port during the war. Reuters
    The Turkish bulk carrier 'Osprey S' is anchored off the shore near Istanbul. The vessel was expected to arrive in Ukraine's Chornomorsk port carrying grain, becoming the first ship to arrive at a Ukrainian port during the war. Reuters
  • Young volunteers from the 'Repair Together' initiative, together with the local residents, clear rubble from a house that was destroyed during fighting, in Ivanivka, Chernihiv region. EPA
    Young volunteers from the 'Repair Together' initiative, together with the local residents, clear rubble from a house that was destroyed during fighting, in Ivanivka, Chernihiv region. EPA
  • A member of the Ukrainian National Guard jumps into a trench at a position near a front line, in the Kharkiv region. Reuters
    A member of the Ukrainian National Guard jumps into a trench at a position near a front line, in the Kharkiv region. Reuters
  • A Ukrainian soldier after a rocket fragment hit his car, in Bakhmut. AFP
    A Ukrainian soldier after a rocket fragment hit his car, in Bakhmut. AFP
  • Combine harvesters of the Continental Farmers Group agricultural company harvest wheat in the Ternopil region of Ukraine. Getty Images
    Combine harvesters of the Continental Farmers Group agricultural company harvest wheat in the Ternopil region of Ukraine. Getty Images
  • A cemetery worker places a cross on the grave of Ukrainian soldier Serhiy Marchenko, who died aged 26, after his burial in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. AP
    A cemetery worker places a cross on the grave of Ukrainian soldier Serhiy Marchenko, who died aged 26, after his burial in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. AP
  • Women attend a rally of relatives and friends of defenders of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol. Reuters
    Women attend a rally of relatives and friends of defenders of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol. Reuters
  • Ukrainian troops fire with a BM27 Uragan multiple-launch rocket system, in the Kharkiv region. Reuters
    Ukrainian troops fire with a BM27 Uragan multiple-launch rocket system, in the Kharkiv region. Reuters
  • A couple carry water bottles after filling them up at a store in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. AP
    A couple carry water bottles after filling them up at a store in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. AP
  • A girl holds a doll as people wait in Pokrovsk, to board a train to Dnipro and Lviv, during an evacuation effort from war-affected areas of eastern Ukraine. Reuters
    A girl holds a doll as people wait in Pokrovsk, to board a train to Dnipro and Lviv, during an evacuation effort from war-affected areas of eastern Ukraine. Reuters
  • People make their way through the partially-closed Market of Kramatorsk. Reuters
    People make their way through the partially-closed Market of Kramatorsk. Reuters

Energoatom said Russia wanted to disconnect the station from the Ukrainian electricity system and cause blackouts in the south of the country.

Moscow's forces, it said, had placed weapons and explosives in two of the power-generating units and mined the shoreline outside the plant.

"It is highly probable that all of this will cause a nuclear and radiation disaster," it said on Saturday.

Russia's defence ministry said damage to the plant had been avoided thanks to the "skilful, competent and effective actions" of its units.

Mr Grossi said that military action jeopardising the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia plant "is completely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs".

Updated: August 07, 2022, 11:45 AM