The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has dismissed calls from Moscow for further objectivity after inspecting nuclear facilities in Russia’s troubled Kursk region.
Last week, Russia accused Ukraine of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant with drones in a lightning cross-border incursion that has been ongoing since early August and which Moscow is still trying to fight off.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the incident and has contacted Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
International Atomic Energy Director General Rafael Grossi said: “What we need to do is objectively, not to incite any hysteria or anything like that, but to show when the danger exists. And here it does exist. It’s objective earth land (existence).
“The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry rightly said, be objective. Yes, we are objective. We say here that this nuclear power plant… is within the range of a potential artillery attack, which means that the danger exists. This danger is inherent in the technology ?” He added that the facilities have “strategic value” in military conflicts because they serve the country’s energy infrastructure.
“I wouldn’t say they are pawns, but they are elements of a broader confrontation,” he noted.
His comments came after Russia on Wednesday urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to be more objective in carrying out its duties.
“We have seen the assessments and the work of this agency (International Atomic Energy Agency), but every time we want to express the position of this agency more objectively and clearly, not in support of our country, not in support of confirmation of Moscow’s position, but According to the Russian Sputnik News Agency, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said on Sputnik Radio on Wednesday: “We support the facts, but have only one goal: to ensure security and prevent the Kiev regime that is pushing everyone on a catastrophic path. situation. Report From Russian state-owned news outlet Ria Novosti.
Thursday Grossi Acknowledging that warring parties are likely to retain “strategic ambiguity surrounding any military operation” means less disclosure of their activities.
“I also understand these attempts to drag me or us, the institution, into their own preferred narrative, and we need to avoid that,” he said.
Grossi led a delegation to inspect the Kursk nuclear facility on Wednesday and told reporters at a subsequent briefing that “the core of the reactor containing the nuclear material is only protected by an ordinary roof. This makes it extremely exposed and vulnerable, for example Being affected by artillery fire or drones or missiles.
On Thursday, Grossi explained that the Kursk nuclear power plant contains Soviet RBMK-type reactors similar to those at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which suffered one of the worst nuclear disasters in history in 1986. one.
This reactor lacks a reinforced roof, which means “if an attack occurs, either intentionally or unintentionally, or as a result of any exchange, there could be an impact on nuclear material. Therefore, radioactive material would be released into the atmosphere,” Grossi said.
Narrating his findings at the site, he described the Kursk facility as still operating under “relatively normal conditions,” but noted that “there are signs of impact from projectiles, shrapnel marks, etc., around the plant that indicate or may indicate the presence of these past dynamics.” event.
The risk of a nuclear explosion from nearby military activity has been a major concern since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Moscow’s subsequent occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
Nuclear concerns have only intensified since Ukraine launched a counteroffensive on Russian territory this month. According to the World Economic Forum.
Conflict between Moscow and Kiev intensified earlier this week, with Russia launching a massive attack with 236 drones and missiles against what the Ukrainian Air Force said was “critical Ukrainian infrastructure.”
The offensive was mentioned in a report by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Atomic Energy Agency notes “Due to fluctuations in the national power grid caused by the Russian attack, Unit 3 of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant was disconnected from the power grid at 17:10 Eastern Daylight Time.”
“The Russian Federation continues to deliberately target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with the intention of disrupting the operation of the country’s nuclear power plants, which provide the majority of Ukraine’s electricity. Russia’s attacks pose a significant threat to the stable operation of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and Ukraine’s security “Millions of people at risk,” the delegation said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
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