UN steps in after shelling near nuclear plant in Ukraine, expresses concern over 'alarming' activities

The UN's nuclear head called for an end to combat operations at Europe's largest nuclear facility in southeast Ukraine on Thursday after expressing concern over "very alarming" army activities there. Rafael Grossi pleaded with Russia and Ukraine, who each accuse the other of carrying out the strikes at the plant, to permit nuclear experts to visit the Zaporizhzhia site right away to analyse the facility's damage and measure its safety.

At such a crucial station, Grossi urged an end to military operations "that have even the slightest possibility to jeopardise nuclear safety." He reaffirmed the previous Thursday request for an end to any military activities near the Zaporizhzhia facility made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who warned that any harm may have "catastrophic implications" in the area, the region, and beyond.

At a meeting convened by Russia to discuss what Moscow alleges were Ukrainian attacks on the plant, Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), virtually briefed the UN Security Council. The nuclear operations at the plant are still managed by its Ukrainian workforce despite being under Russian administration. It is in Enerhodar, a city where Russian forces took control of in early March shortly after invading Ukraine.

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The IAEA cannot verify crucial facts unless its specialists travel to Zaporizhzhia, according to Grossi, who said that the assertions it has received from Russia and Ukraine "are frequently contradicted." Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador, informed the council that "Kyiv's criminal attacks on nuclear facilities are bringing nuclear catastrophe to the world."

He claimed that the Ukrainian military has been shelling the Zaporizhzhia factory frequently lately, including on Thursday, with heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. "The background radiation at the nuclear power plant at the moment is within limits, but if the strikes continue, it is only a question of time," Nebenzia warned. "We call on states that support the Kyiv regime to bring their proxies into check to compel them to immediately and once and for all stop attacks."

Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN, accused Russia of initiating the shelling at Zaporizhzhia, including on Thursday, using "elaborate plans of deceit, sabotage, and cover-ups," which poses "an unprecedented threat to nuclear security for Ukraine, to Europe, and to the world as a whole." The Zaporizhzhia facility and adjoining structures were once again shelled by Russia on Thursday, according to Enerhoatom, the Ukrainian state firm that runs the plant.

"Five (hits) were recorded near the plant management's office -- right next to the welding site and the storage facility for radiation sources," Enerhoatom said in a post on its official Telegram channel. "The grass caught fire over a small area, but fortunately, no one was hurt."

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The only solution to eliminate the nuclear threats, according to the envoy of Ukraine, is for Russia to withdraw its soldiers and hand back control of the plant to Ukraine. Nebenzia said that Russia was in favour of the IAEA's June visit to Zaporizhzhia, which the UN security experts had at the last minute given the "red light." In order to address any obstacles for a visit "even before the end of August," Moscow is prepared to offer "all necessary help," he said.

Yevhen Balytskyy, the temporarily appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia region who was appointed by the Kremlin, stated on Thursday that the administration there, which is supported by Russia, was prepared to guarantee the safety and security of any IAEA mission sent to inspect circumstances. He said that the Kremlin-backed officials had arranged armoured cars for the foreign envoys during an interview on Russian state television.

The IAEA experts' arrival in Zaporizhzhia was delayed, according to Kyslytsya, who blamed Russia's "unjustified conditions." She added that Ukraine is prepared to offer "all necessary assistance" to make it easier for the nuclear team to travel through Ukrainian-controlled territory, which is only five miles from the plant across the Dnieper River.

In a statement, Guterres pleaded for "common sense and reason" to prevail, urging people to refrain from taking any activities "that would threaten the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant" and to remove all military personnel and equipment.

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The Russian takeover of Zaporizhzhia sparked new concerns that the biggest of Ukraine's 15 nuclear reactors might sustain damage, resulting in a repeat of the world's worst nuclear disaster, the 1986 Chernobyl accident, which took place about 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of the country's capital Kyiv.

The consequences of a radiation accident at Zaporizhzhia "could be even more catastrophic than Chernobyl, and essentially the same as the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, but without a nuclear strike," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned defence leaders on Thursday at a conference in Copenhagen. "Russian officials are considerably more cynical and dangerous," he claimed. "If the Soviet authorities tried to hide the Chernobyl tragedy and its full effects."

"They are doing everything themselves to maximise the risk of a nuclear disaster, and lie to the whole world that someone else is allegedly to blame." The situation in Zaporizhzhia is "totally out of control," according to Grossi, who stated this last week in an interview with the Associated Press. Without providing a specific timeframe, Grossi said in a statement on Wednesday that he will personally oversee a mission of experts to check the nuclear plant "in the very near future."

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(With inputs from PTI)