Russian troops approach Ukraine’s biggest nuclear plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed on Monday (28) by Ukrainian authorities that Russian troops are near the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, the country’s largest, and warned again that military actions that pose a risk to the security should be avoided. Russian forces are already operational near Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine but have not yet entered, the IAEA said in a statement, referring to information provided by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. Ukraine has informed the UN atomic agency that its 15 reactors at four sites continue to function safely.

The director of the IAEA, the Argentine Rafael Grossi, said that he is following with great concern the “possible impact” of the Russian attack on the security of nuclear plants in Ukraine and stressed that it is very important that these facilities are not put at risk. “An accident at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities could have serious consequences for public health and the environment,” he warned. Russian forces last week occupied the former Chernobyl plant, where the most serious accident in the history of the nuclear industry took place in 1986. The IAEA says that, according to data from Ukraine’s nuclear regulator, levels of radioactivity at the plant are low.