As reported by Reuters, the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, remains precarious following last week’s drone attacks. The attacks have been recorded as the worst since November 2022, and the global powers have sounded an alarm of a possible nuclear accident.
During the Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, encouraged the cessation of attacks on the nuclear plant as it could pose an important risk to European security. According to the head of the IAEA, the risk of disaster must be reduced to a minimum, as these attacks could represent the beginning of a new and dangerous phase of the war that would affect the entire European population.
As reported by UN News, the constant presence of IAEA personnel at ZNPP, as in all other nuclear power plants in Ukraine, has led to the so-called "cold shutdown" of all six reactors at the plant for the first time since the end of 2022, an operation that has long been recommended by the Atomic Agency, and that has improved the overall safety of the structure.
The situation remains extremely fragile, and in the event of a radiation leak or explosion, the entire continent of Europe could be contaminated. Meanwhile, Moscow and Kiev continue to accuse each other, not facing the possible causes of a nuclear disaster.
According to Al Jazeera, the use of the Zaporizhzhia power plant played a central role in the war in Ukraine, as the structure has been the subject of attacks since the beginning of the conflict, and has been used several times as a tool to spread "nuclear terrorism" from both contending countries, as an integral part of an information war.
To read more, visit:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148586
