UN: Russia has sent nuclear specialists to Zaporizja plant

The International Nuclear Energy Agency (ANEB) said it was informed by Kiev that Russia has sent nuclear specialists to help monitor the Zaporizhja nuclear power plant, located southeast of Ukraine.

This nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control but is still operated by Ukrainian staff after heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, has been a source of concern to the ANEB, which is the United Nations agency.

ANEB chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said on April 29th that the Ukrainian staff at the plant, which Russian forces took over on March 4th, are working “under enormous pressure”. Citing Ukrainian officials, ANEB said eight representatives of the Russian nuclear agency, Rosenergoatom, have been sent to the Zaporija plant.

Russian forces have been accused by Kiev of deliberately attacking six power plant reactors, triggering fire and raising fears that actions against this Ukrainian plant, which is the largest in Ukraine, could lead to a global disaster, just as it had happened to the Chernobyl disaster.

Shortly after Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, Russian forces took control of the dismantled Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located north of Kiev. There have been fighting in this plant and there have been reports that Russian forces have stepped on contaminated land and may have been exposed to radiation.

Russian forces were evacuated from the Chernobyl plant at the end of March.

Ukraine has four nuclear plants, which together have 15 reactors in operation. /rel/