IAEA chief warns of Russia's 'vulnerable' Kursk nuclear power plant – Firstpost

The head of the United Nations Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said after visiting the Russian Kursk nuclear power plant on Tuesday that there was a risk of a nuclear accident and that the situation was serious.

According to a Politico International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Grossi reportedly led a mission to the nuclear facility after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed it had been shelled following Ukraine's invasion of the area. However, Kyiv has denied attacking the facility.

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

“I have been informed about the impact of the drones. I have been shown some of their remains and signs of their impact,” Grossi added, without saying who was responsible.

At a press conference, Grossi explained that the power plant was extremely fragile because it did not have a protective dome.

“The core of the reactor, which contains nuclear material, is only protected by a normal roof,” he said, adding: “This makes it extremely vulnerable and fragile, for example to an artillery strike, a drone attack or a missile.”

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

He said operations at the facility were currently running almost normally, but that the security situation was even more serious.

“My message is the same for everyone: there must be no nuclear accident. It is our responsibility to ensure that,” Grossi said at the press conference, adding that the agency would not take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

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

Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosenergoatom said Grossi was able to see for himself that the plant's third reactor was operating at its planned capacity, while the fourth reactor had been undergoing scheduled maintenance since Sunday. He was also shown a new reactor block that is under construction, it said.

With contributions from agencies