IAEA: "Dramatic reduction" in Ukrainian staff at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant threatens safety

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed concern about a “dramatic reduction” in Ukrainian staff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since Russia seized it in March 2022, CNN reported.

The number of employees has dropped from around 10,000 before the Russian occupation to 3,000 or less, Grossi said at a media briefing in Kyiv on Jan. 19.

Despite the decrease, the current number of employees, he said, is adequate for the situation as the plant is operating at a low level. “But of course it is a matter of concern,” Grossi added.

According to the IAEA head, a handful of the agency’s staff maintain the plant on the ground. He stressed that the Zaporizhzhia plant had shown resilience, having been on the very frontline ever since Russia’s all-out war broke.

“We know that a nuclear accident or an accident with serious radiological consequences is possible every day,” Grossi said.

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The Kyiv Independent