The G7 countries say “deeply concerned” by the risks of a nuclear accident in the Ukrainian power station of Zaporijjia, occupied since March by the Russian army. They asked, Monday, August 29, the guarantee of access “freely” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) personnel at the plant, in a statement. “We emphasize that any attempt by Russia to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian power grid would be unacceptable”, further warns the G7 Directors Group on Non-Proliferation. He stresses that the nuclear power plant must not “not to be used for military activities or the storage of military equipment”. Follow our live.
• The IAEA en route to Zaporijjia. The Director General of the IAEA announced Monday morning the departure of a team from the agency to the Zaporijjia power plant. The plant, where six of Ukraine’s 15 reactors are located, was taken by Russian troops in early March, shortly after the invasion began on February 24, and is near the front line in the south. While kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of carrying out bombings near the complex and thus endangering the site, the Ukrainian operator Energoatom warned on Saturday of the risk of radioactive leaks and fire after new strikes.
• Temporarily “totally disconnected” reactors. Between Thursday and Friday, the plant and its six reactors of 1,000 megawatts each were “totally disconnected” from the national grid due to damage to the power lines, according to kyiv, before being reconnected and restarted. In recent weeks, Zaporijjia crystallizes the concerns of Westerners. The UN has therefore called for an end to all military activity in the surrounding area.