Moscow (EFE) turbine room.
“Yes, the windows in the turbine room are really damaged, they were blown out by the shock wave. But it was not about artillery attacks, but about drones. They (Ukrainians) do not stop attacking, ”he told Russian television.
Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was “deeply concerned” about the increase in fighting around the atomic plant and the possible escalation that the expected Ukrainian counteroffensive could trigger at the site.
The experts from the organization’s mission who are in Zaporizhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, “have heard bombardments almost every day during the last week,” explained the IAEA director general, the Argentine Rafael Grossi, in a statement published last night.
Even at one point, international experts “were asked to seek refuge,” according to the IAEA.
Risk of nuclear accident in Zaporizhia, according to the IAEA
Following Russia’s illegal annexation of the Zaporizhia region in September, the plant is controlled by the Rosenergoatom corporation, run by Russian operator Rosatom, although some Ukrainian technicians who have been offered new contracts remain at the plant.
The plant has been subjected to periodic bombardments that have caused power outages on several occasions, during which emergency supply with diesel generators was activated.
Although all the reactors are shut down as a precaution, the IAEA considers that there is still a high risk of a nuclear accident, which is why it has urged the two parties to create a demilitarized zone around the facility.
The concern of the experts has increased before the expected counteroffensive of Ukraine to recover its territories.
“I saw clear signs of military preparations in the area when I visited the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant just over three weeks ago,” Grossi said in the statement.
“Since then, our on-site experts have frequently reported hearing gunshots, sometimes suggesting heavy shelling not far from the site. I am deeply concerned about the situation at the plant, ”he stressed.