The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is "dangerously close" to an accident because of the recent attacks against it, AFP reported.
Europe's largest nuclear power facility, Zaporozhye, was occupied by Russian forces shortly after their invasion began in February 2022.
Since this year, it has been closed due to frequent shelling.
Since April 7, the plant has been the target of a series of drone attacks, with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other.
These are the first direct attacks on the plant since November 2022.
"These reckless attacks must stop immediately," Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a meeting of the UN Security Council.
"Although this time, fortunately, they did not lead to a radiological incident, they significantly increase the risk at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, where nuclear safety is already compromised," said Grossi, whose agency has personnel stationed at the facility.
According to him, the attack "sets a very dangerous precedent" because the protective structure of the reactor was struck.
"Two years of war are taking a heavy toll on nuclear safety at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Every one of the IAEA's seven pillars of nuclear safety and security has been compromised. We cannot sit back and watch the latest weight tip the finely balanced scales."
"We are coming dangerously close to a nuclear accident. We must not allow complacency to let a roll of the dice decide what happens tomorrow," he said.
The risk of a major accident is real even though the reactors are shut down, he said. /BGNES
