The fighting in the Ukraine war is currently taking place not far from the nuclear power plant in Kursk. The head of the nuclear authority, Grossi, warns of possible consequences.
Kursk – Fighting in the Russian region of Kursk continues. In early August, Ukrainian forces entered Russian territory and also fought near the nuclear power plant thereThe head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is worried. During a visit in the middle of Ukraine War On Tuesday (27 August) he took a look at the situation. The nuclear power plant was particularly at risk and there was a risk of a nuclear incident.
Ukraine offensive in Kursk – IAEA chief warns at nuclear power plant: “The situation is serious”
The fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian armies at such a short distance from a nuclear power plant of this type is an “extremely serious” matter, Grossi said on Tuesday after visiting the plant in Kurchatov. The fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian armies is currently taking place just 50 kilometers from the nuclear power plant. “The situation is serious,” he also wrote on X after visiting the nuclear power plant.
The Kursk nuclear power plant in Kurchatov is located around 60 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border on the Sejm River. It has four reactors, two of which are decommissioned. All four reactors are of the same type as those in the Ukrainian Chernobyl nuclear power plant that suffered a disaster in 1986 and do not have a protective dome. This makes the nuclear power plant particularly vulnerable to damage if it is attacked with drones or artillery.
IAEA chief visits Kursk nuclear power plant during Ukraine war: “No special protective measures”
So far, however, operations have been running almost normally, said Grossi. He has inspected the most important facilities, including the reactor and machine halls, the control unit and the storage area for spent fuel elements. According to the Russian nuclear energy holding company Rosatom, Grossi also took a look at the traces of suspected Ukrainian attacks on the plant.
It would be “exaggerated” to equate Chernobyl and Kursk, said Grossi. “But it is the same type of reactor and there are no special protective measures,” warned the IAEA chief. “It is not like other reactors in the world, where you have the typical dome. This is completely different, it is like any other building across the street – but with all the nuclear material.”
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After the Ukrainian advance into the Russian border region began on August 6, Grossi had already warned of the possible impact of the fighting on the nuclear power plant there and called on “all parties to exercise maximum restraint”. The Russian President Vladimir Putin had accused the Ukrainian army of an attempted attack on the nuclear power plant last week. Russia also reported that debris from a fired rocket fell onto the nuclear power plant site at the start of the offensive.
The IAEA chief said that Putin himself had invited him to visit the nuclear power plant. It was important to keep the communication channels open and to continue cooperation. Grossi said he also wanted to travel to Kiev to meet with the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky to speak about the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which Russian troops are occupying, and other nuclear facilities in the country. Grossi said that Kiev had asked for an expansion of the IAEA presence in Ukraine. IAEA experts are deployed at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. (vk/dpa/afp)
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