UN nuclear watchdog chief urges cessation of shelling near Zaporizhzhia nuke plant

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday urged an end to shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as explosions were reported by local experts.

"The news from our team yesterday and this morning is extremely disturbing. Explosions occurred at the site of this major nuclear power plant, which is completely unacceptable. Whoever is behind this, it must stop immediately. As I have said many times before, you're playing with fire," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement issued by the agency.

According to the IAEA statement, several explosions were heard in the morning, following similar reports from Tuesday night.

"Citing information provided by plant management, the IAEA team said there had been damage to some buildings, systems and equipment at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant site, but none of them so far critical for nuclear safety and security. There were no reports of casualties," it further read.

The statement added that Grossi renewed his demand for a safety and security zone around the nuclear plant from both Russia and Ukraine "as soon as possible," though these efforts were unsuccessful.

The Russian state news agency TASS reported that 15 explosions were recorded at the plant, as it cited claims by Renat Karchaa, an advisor to Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of the state nuclear agency Rosatom.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom later claimed that the Russian military hit facilities within the plant 12 times.

The plant in southeastern Ukraine has been under Russian control since March, early into Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Since then, concerns have grown of a nuclear disaster between Moscow and Kyiv, both of which accuse each other of attacks on the nuclear facility.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the world's 10 largest nuclear power plants, generated 20% of Ukraine’s electricity before the war.