Ukraine urges IAEA to prevent attacks on nuclear facilities
- 14 February, 11:41
Kyiv has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to step up efforts to prevent Russia from attacking nuclear facilities, Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said in a statement on Friday.
"The Ministry of Energy has informed the IAEA about all the circumstances of Russia’s overnight attack on the New Safe Confinement of Chornobyl NPP Unit 4 and urged the international community to intensify efforts to force Russia to stop terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities," the statement reads.
Emphasizing that Russian attacks on critical energy infrastructure, particularly on nuclear facilities, were unacceptable, the ministry stated that the damage to protective barriers, power supply systems, or monitoring equipment could have serious consequences not only for Ukraine but for the entire region.
The statement follows an overnight Russian drone attack on Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The attack came just hours before the start of the Munich Security Conference in which the Ukraine war is on top of agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Telegram post that the shelter was damaged during the attack, although the radiation level in Chernobyl nuclear power plant had not increased. Zelenskiy stressed that the fresh strike on the facility clearly showed that “Putin is definitely not preparing for negotiations.” “Russia must be held accountable for what it is doing,” Zelenskiy added. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, denied Moscow was responsible for the attack.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general, Rafael Grossi, said the organization was on “high alert” due to persistent safety risks, without attributing blame to any of the countries.
Concerns have been raised over the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear plants since the full-fledged invasion of the country by Russia in February 2024. Of greatest concern is Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is the largest nuclear facility in Europe.
