Mar 9, 2022: According to a report by AFP, IAEA, the UN’s atomic watchdog says the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer sending it data and voiced concern for staff working under Russian guard there.
After its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia had seized the defunct plant, site of a 1986 disaster that killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi “indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost”, the agency said in a statement.
The situation for the staff was also “worsening” at the site, the IAEA said, citing the Ukrainian nuclear regulator.
“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety,” said Grossi.
“I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there.”
“The Agency is looking into the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other locations in Ukraine and will provide further information soon,” it said.
The term “Safeguards” as used by the IAEA means technical measures it applies to nuclear material and activities, with the objective of deterring the spread of nuclear weapons through early detection of the misuse of such material.
Over 200 technicians and guards are stranded at the site, working for 13 days since the Russian occupation. The IAEA quoted the Ukrainian nuclear regulator as saying that the staff situation at the site was “getting worse”. The waste plant sits in an outdoor zone with a waste reactor and radioactive waste facilities.
The plant still employs more than 2,000 people because it needs permanent management to avoid another nuclear catastrophe. The UN agency called on Russia to allow workers to move around, as rest and regular shifts are important for site safety.
Russia also attacked and seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, last week, accusing Kyiv of “nuclear terrorism.” Zaporizhzhia alone has six more modern, safer design reactors than Chernobyl. The IAEA said two of them were still working, plant personnel were working shifts and radiation levels were stable.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti published a video of a Russian national guard official in front of the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant saying Moscow’s forces were in full control of the site.
“Currently, the plant is operating as normal. The management of the site is fulfilling its functions. The situation is fully controlled by the Russian national guard,” the official said.
Russia has accused Ukraine of storing weapons at the facility.
“A large number of armaments and ammunition, including heavy weapons, were discovered in the reactors of the plants,” after it was taken by Russian forces, the official said.
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