Security risk increases at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Clashes continue in the region

It has been reported that the security risk at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is increasing. Due to the fact that only one power source remains to supply the plant, there are risks of power outages in the region. While the military hospital where soldiers wounded in the clashes in the Zaporizhzhia region are treated remains crowded, it was noted that the nuclear security risk in the area is steadily increasing. It was stated that a potential power outage would endanger the lives of patients.

In a written statement issued in recent months by Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom, Rosatom Director General Aleksey Likhachev stated that 'the situation around the nuclear power plant continues to deteriorate.' The statement pointed out that Ukraine has carried out numerous attacks near the nuclear power plant and noted the following:

“Such actions not only pose a direct threat to the nuclear power plant but also undermine the IAEA's approaches to nuclear safety."

While artillery and drone attacks have been carried out around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which came under Russian control in March 2022, Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the attacks. As military operations by both sides continue in the region, the latest UN reports on the nuclear power plant have suggested that the security risk is increasing.

During the clashes between the two sides, the nuclear power plant was hit, and the resulting fire was extinguished with difficulty

MUTUAL ACCUSATIONS FROM UKRAINE AND RUSSIA

In a statement on February 5, Ukraine accused Russia of forcing a delay in the planned rotation of personnel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by avoiding the security guarantees given to the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog. Russia denied the allegations, pointing out that Ukraine's military maneuvers increase the nuclear risk.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi expressed the following in his statement:

''This is not the first time the Kremlin has used blackmail as a tool to intimidate international experts and undermine their independence.''

On January 19, Russia launched a missile attack on the Zaporizhzhia region. Six people were injured in the attack, and the Ukrainian side accused the Russian army of creating a security risk for the nuclear power plant.