'Danger of nuclear accident has...': IAEA chief's warning for Russia's 'vulnerable' Kursk plant

Aug. 27, 2024, 6:17 p.m.

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UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi said after visiting Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant on Tuesday that there was a risk of a nuclear accident and the situation was serious.

According to a Politico report, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Grossi led a mission to the nuclear site after Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged it was shelled following Ukraine’s incursion into the area. However, Kyiv has denied targeting the plant.

“The danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged near here,” Grossi was quoted as saying, referring to the fact that fighting is taking place in the surrounding Kursk region.

Advertisement “I was informed about the impact of the drones. I was shown some of the remnants of them and signs of the impact they had,” Grossi added, without saying who was responsible.

Speaking at a press conference, Grossi stated that the plant was extremely vulnerable because it lacked a protective dome.

“The core of the reactor containing nuclear material is protected just by a normal roof, he said, adding, “This makes it extremely exposed and fragile, for example, to an artillery impact or a drone or a missile.”

“A nuclear power plant of this type, so close to a point of contact or a military front, is an extremely serious fact that we take very seriously,” he said.

He indicated that the facility was currently still operating very near its normal capacity, but this made the issue of its safety even more concerning.

“My message is the same for everyone: no nuclear accident can happen. It is our responsibility to make sure of that,” Grossi said at the news conference, adding that the agency won’t take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

“This conflict, this war, is not the responsibility of the IAEA,” he added.

Russian state nuclear company Rosenergoatom said Grossi had been able to satisfy himself that the plant’s Number Three reactor was working at planned capacity, while its fourth reactor has been undergoing scheduled maintenance since Sunday. He was also shown a new reactor block that is under construction, it said.

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