Skip to content
Edit post

IAEA: Shelling heard almost everyday near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 22, 2023 4:27 AM 1 min read
A view of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Andrey Borodulin / AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts currently at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have heard shelling almost every day over the past week, the agency said in an update published on April 21.  

The experts were told at one point to seek shelter on site due to the “potential dangers caused by continued military activity in the region,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

“I saw clear indications of military preparations in the area when I visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant just over three weeks ago. Since then, our experts at the site have frequently reported about hearing detonations, at times suggesting intense shelling not far from the site,” Grossi said.

On March 29, Grossi made his second visit to the nuclear power plant to assess safety and security firsthand, speak with facility engineers, and ensure the rotation of IAEA experts to and from the site.

The director general also said in the update that he is continuing his efforts and negotiations with both Russia and Ukraine to protect the plant and avoid it being used to launch attacks.

Since Russian forces occupied the plant in March 2022, they have used it as a military base from which they launch attacks at Ukrainian-controlled territory across the Dnipro River, in particular, Nikopol.

The plant, Europe’s largest, has been fully disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid several times due to regular Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. The power plant is also currently operating with only a quarter of its regular staff, causing concerns about maintenance.

The IAEA update comes amid increased checks on local residents in Enerhodar, the Russian-occupied city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast where the power plant is located, the Ukrainian military's National Resistance Center reported on April 21.

According to the center, Russian forces are stopping local residents more frequently at checkpoints and looking through their mobile phones for Ukrainian applications and at the photographs on their phones.

News Feed

9:56 AM  (Updated: )

Russian attacks kill 7, injure 23 in Ukraine over past day.

Russia launched two Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, an S-300 anti-aircraft missile, and 47 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight, primarily targeting Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine's Air Force reported.
4:44 PM

Iran-Israel implications for Ukraine | Ukraine This Week.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down the implications the burgeoning war in the Middle East may carry for Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as a particularly cynical act of Russian torture brought to light this month.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.