ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Fighting broke out Friday near Europe’s largest nuclear plant in a Russian-controlled eastern Ukrainian domain, as inspectors at the U. N. nuclear watchdog firm expressed fear for the facility’s “physical integrity” but blamed either. wars on the sidelines.
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said he plans to produce a report “early next week, as soon as we have a full picture of the weekend, more or less. “
Speaking in Vienna after returning from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, he said he would report to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
“We saw what I asked to see, everything I asked to see,” Grossi said, adding that his main considerations were the “physical integrity” of the plant, the strength of the facility and the staff’s setting.
“Military activity and operations are expanding in this component of the country and that worries me a lot,” he said. “You see that the statistic of more physical damage is present. “
He noted that the bombing began in August and “is obviously a more recent trend,” but did not blame the damage that has been done so far.
The head of Ukraine’s nuclear watchdog, Oleh Korikov, said Ukrainian officials “would like more decisive moves and statements” from IAEA inspectors. “But let’s wait until the project is finished,” he added.
The local government appointed through Russia said Friday that the plant’s workers’ corps restarted a key reactor just hours after a bombing the day before forced it to shut down. Ukraine’s nuclear force operator Energoatom showed on its Telegram channel that the reactivated reactor had been reconnected to the network of forces.
Aleksandr Volga, mayor of Kremlin-backed Enerhodar, where the Zaporizhzhia plant is located, told news firm Interfax that the facility now has two reactors in operation, out of a total of six.
The head of Ukraine’s tough National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said the Ukrainian government was not fully aware of the plant’s internal scenario at this time, despite the presence of the IAEA team that visited on Thursday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Danilov, a key official in Ukraine’s war effort, said, “I want to emphasize that this is a challenge for the whole world, how to make this nuclear facility not dangerous. “
Russia and Ukraine on Thursday shared the duty of the bombing that led to the temporary shutdown of the reactor through its emergency cover formula. Energoatom said the attack breached a backup power line used for internal needs and that one of the plant’s decommissioned reactors was replaced with diesel generators. .
Britain’s Defense Ministry said earlier Friday that the bombing continued in the domain near the factory, and Ukrainian pre-observer Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian shelling had destroyed homes, fuel pipes and other infrastructure on the other side of the Dnieper River, a component of fighting in several regions. from eastern and southern Ukraine overnight.
Russian-backed officials in Enerhodar claimed Russian forces shot down an armed Ukrainian drone near the factory on Friday.
“Ukrainian militants apparently continue to attempt to attack the plant even though there are IAEA workers there,” the municipal administration’s press service said in a statement.
In its normal update Friday night, the Ukrainian military said it carried out a “precision strike” in Enerhodar but did not directly recognize or respond to claims by Kremlin-backed officials. The attack destroyed 3 artillery systems, an ammunition depot and a corps. of the workers’ company.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations that the other side sought to obstruct the work of IAEA experts or the message.
Zelensky, in his evening address on Thursday, had harsh words for the IAEA delegation. While applauding his arrival at the factory, he said independent reporters had been prevented from covering the visit, allowing the Russians to provide a unilateral “useless visit. “
In a call to the convention with reporters on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow viewed the arrival of the project “positively,” “despite all the disorders and difficulties through the provocative moves of the Ukrainian side. “
The 14-member delegation arrived in a convoy of SUVs and pickup trucks after months of negotiations to allow experts to move to the front line. They braved gunfire and artillery explosions along the road.
Grossi said Friday that six of the agency’s experts remain at the plant and that there will be a “permanent presence at the site . . . with two of our experts who will continue the work. “He did specify precisely how long the two experts will stay.
“The difference between being there and being there is like day and night,” he said.
The factory has been occupied by Russian forces led by Ukrainian engineers since the early days of the 6-month war.
Ukraine alleges that Russia is the factory as a shield for launching attacks. On Friday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu rejected Ukraine’s accusations, saying Russia had no heavy weapons either on site or in nearby areas.
Shoigu said Ukrainian forces fired 120 artillery shells and used suicide drones to attack the plant, “increasing a real risk of nuclear disaster in Europe. “
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