Less than one month after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors passed a resolution for the immediate return of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control, Ukraine attacked the Zaporizhzhia NPP with drones. Imagine telling the world if you don’t give us what we want, we’ll cause a global nuclear problem.
The pugnacious audacity shown by Ukraine’s lack of regard for its citizens who will be killed in the event of a nuclear catastrophe as well as Europeans supporting Ukraine is only matched by the IAEA.
Where’s the thinking on this? Give us a potential dirty bomb we can blow up if Russia advances or we’ll blow it up without you.
Of course, Russia disregarded this, stating that the vote exceeded the board’s mandate and agency authority.
The IAEA resolution highlights concerns about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian military control for over two years. It mentions issues including nuclear safety and security, lack of qualified personnel, gaps in planning, unreliable supply chains, vulnerable water/electricity supply outside the site, and installation of anti-personnel mines in the buffer zone.
It supports IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s efforts to address nuclear safety, security, and safeguards in Ukraine, including maintaining technical experts at ZNPP and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
Reduced to a few choice words, the resolution is most concerned about Ukraine’s repeated attempts to destroy the cooling systems, the electrical supply to the plant which the safety systems need, attacks on supply chain delivery trucks, and so on.
With a constantly simmering nuclear catastrophe with the potential to affect European sponsors of the war, you don’t add to the problem by giving a group actively trying to detonate it the means to do it.
You don’t cover up for Ukraine’s nuclear terrorists either.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine was damaged on Sunday in a drone attack, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which described the strike as “a serious incident with the potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor’s containment system.”
In a statement, the IAEA clarified that the drone attack on the Russian-controlled facility did not compromise nuclear safety. The agency’s director-general, Rafael Grossi, reported three direct hits on the main reactor containment and one casualty due to the attack.
“This is a clear violation of the basic principles for protecting Europe’s largest (nuclear power plant). Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately,” Grossi said.
According to a statement posted on ZNPP’s official Telegram channel, Russian authorities accused the Ukrainian military of carrying out a series of attacks against the plant using “self-exploding” drones. The ZNPP statement reported damage to a truck unloading food and another hit in the cargo port area of the facility.
“Shelling of Zaporizhzhia NPP and its infrastructure is unacceptable. No nuclear power plant in the world is designed to withstand full-fledged fire from the armed forces. Damage to infrastructure facilities may affect the safe operation of the NPP,” the statement added, using an acronym for the nuclear power plant.
After Russia accused Ukraine of involvement in the attack, Ukraine denied any wrongdoing. Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, stated that the aggressor state is endangering a nuclear facility and civilians in Europe.
Once again mainstream media cannot independently verify Russia’s or Ukraine’s claims.
Ukraine’s first attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP was in 2014 when nationalists took the plant over and there was a radiation spike which was reported in nuclear power industry watchdog newsletters.
Since 2022, Ukraine has been shelling the plant and in one case Ukraine’s artillery spotter gave the wrong coordinates and almost got himself shelled as a result.
In a statement on February 9, 2023, Grossi emphasized the urgent situation at Zaporizhzhia, stressing the need for swift action and increased efforts from all parties to reach an agreement. Recent shelling near the plant has hindered a new IAEA team from rotating in.
During the Moscow trip, Alexei Likhachev, the head of the Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom, met with Grossi and mentioned that the talks “will give us a chance to get a step closer” to creating a safety zone..
Despite the hollow assurances from Ukrainian officials about supporting the creation of a zone, Petro Kotin, the chief of Ukraine’s nuclear energy firm Energoatom, offered a stark reality check on Jan. 4, 2023.
He dismissed the idea of establishing such a zone as being far from “realistic” at this juncture. Predictably, he anticipates that brute force will be required for the Ukrainian military to reclaim control over the site. His call for sanctions against Rosatom, until Russia ceases its seizure of civilian facilities, reeks more of desperation than strategic thinking.
And following suit with this policy, the Ukrainian army has been attacking Zaporizhzhia NPP since Russia took over the power plant.
The IAEA has proven itself to be the worst arbiter of nuclear protection in this case. By failing to report the origin of the shelling which is easily determined, ie, you don’t have to be a nuclear scientist, Grossi is further endangering the plant and every person living in the radius of the potential nuclear disaster.
“No one can benefit or gain any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities. This is unacceptable. I strongly urge military decision-makers to refrain from any actions that violate the fundamental principles protecting nuclear facilities,” stated Grossi. The head of the UN atomic watchdog has warned of a “major nuclear accident” following a recent drone attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant.
While this makes a great soundbite, it’s a lie and Grossi knows it. Otherwise, both he and the IAEA would be coming down on Ukraine for attacking the NPP over and over again. Ukraine benefits in its media war immensely by causing a steam pipe burst (worst case) or a meltdown (almost as bad).
An explosion near the reactor building and blood stains suggesting one casualty on Sunday were also reported, including a hit on the dome of the plant’s sixth power unit.
Where is Europe on this? The prevailing winds for most of the year would cover the EU with radioactive contamination in the event of a steam pipe burst. The mushroom cloud over Fukushima years back is a present reminder of what that looks like.
The International Atomic Energy Agency‘s (IAEA) head, Rafael Mariano Grossi, called the attacks “reckless”. This is the direct targeting of the nuclear facility for the first time since November 2022 in military action, endangering nuclear safety and security.
Reckless is as reckless does. By not naming the source of attacks, Grossi and the IAEA opened up a world of CNN-style clickbait headlines for the US-Ukraine State Department strategic communicators to salivate over.
Russia attacked itself again. Shame on Russia.
Shortly after the attacks were reported, experts from the nuclear body were sent to three affected locations and confirmed the physical impact of the drone detonations, stated the IAEA. The attack targeted one of the site’s six reactor buildings that housed surveillance and communication equipment.
The IAEA mentioned that while the experts were on the roof of reactor unit 6, Russian troops engaged what seemed to be an approaching drone, resulting in an explosion near the reactor building.
The IAEA team observed remnants of drones at this and two other impact locations at the site.
“At one of them, outside a laboratory, they saw blood stains next to a damaged military logistics vehicle, indicating at least one casualty,” the IAEA said.
The IAEA observed what “seemed” to be drones and then inspected the remnants of actual drones. This uncertain reporting is problematic. Unlike artillery shells, the incoming direction of the drones is not determined by the launch location. Examining drones should not be an overly complex issue.
Loud explosions and rifle fire were heard on the nuclear site throughout the day by the experts. “Additionally, the IAEA team heard several rounds of outgoing artillery fire from near the plant,” an IAEA statement added.
“This is a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately,” Mr Grossi said.
“Attacking a nuclear power plant is an absolute no go,” Mr Grossi said, (unless of course your name is Zelenskyy).
Military decision-makers should abstain from “any action violating the basic principles that protect nuclear facilities”, he added.
Officials at the Russia-controlled plant said no critical damage or casualties were reported and radiation levels at the plant were normal after the strikes.
However, officials blamed Ukraine for the military drone attacks.
A Ukrainian intelligence official denied the accusations and said Kyiv has nothing to do with incidents at the plant.
“Ukraine is not involved in any kind of armed provocations on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant illegally occupied by Russia,” Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, told the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet.
“Russian strikes, including imitation ones, on the territory of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant have long been a well-known criminal practice of the invaders,” he said.
Ukraine has been caught time and time again blaming Russia for the casualties its ineptness or callousness caused.
For the sake of nuclear safety, Ukraine needs to stop attacking the nuclear power plant.
