“Realistic Risk”
IAEA fears nuclear accident in Ukraine
02/27/2022, 9:25 p.m
Russian tanks kick up dust in Chernobyl. Missiles hit a storage facility with nuclear waste. The first incidents involving nuclear facilities already occurred during the war in Ukraine. But the International Atomic Energy Agency warns that there could be worse accidents with “severe consequences”.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, several of the country’s nuclear facilities have been affected by the fighting. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna therefore warned of serious nuclear accidents. According to the nuclear regulatory authority, a warehouse with radioactive waste was hit by missiles in the capital Kiev on Sunday night. The building was not damaged and there were no signs of radiation leakage, the IAEA reported. A day earlier, an electrical transformer was damaged at a similar facility near the city of Kharkiv.
“These two incidents show the very realistic risk that nuclear material facilities will be damaged in the conflict and that there are possible serious consequences for people and the environment,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. He therefore called on Russia and Ukraine to exercise extreme caution. The Board of Governors of the IAEA is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session on the situation in Ukraine on Wednesday.
Russian troops conquered the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl reactor on Thursday. In the process, radioactive soil was blown up, which led to slightly increased radiation readings. Grossi did not comment on President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia’s deterrent weapons would be put on alert. The IAEA is not responsible for monitoring nuclear weapons. On the other hand, it ensures that civilian nuclear technology is not misused for military purposes.