The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is failing in its role to urgently protect Ukraine’s nuclear power plants from a Russian missile attack, Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe said in response to Russia’s massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s electricity system.
An analysis by Greenpeace in October highlighted the vulnerability of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to catastrophe from Russian missile and drone attacks.
Three months ago, the IAEA agreed to develop a plan and send inspectors to protect Ukraine’s energy system. As a result, several inspections took place, the last of which was in October. Since then, Russia has carried out two massive strikes, deliberately targeting the Ukrainian power grid and threatening the safety of nuclear power plants.
The IAEA director, responding to mounting pressure after the Russian missile attacks, assured Ukraine’s energy minister that the agency was “ready to organize relevant missions in the near future.”
Greenpeace commented on this as “The IAEA is fully aware of the risks, but has decided not to act so far. The future that Grossi is talking about is happening now, and it is a real emergency in which every day, every hour counts. The IAEA’s words do not protect Ukrainian nuclear power plants from a Russian missile attack. Where are the IAEA’s plans for permanent, comprehensive protection of the substations, which are necessary to prevent a power system collapse and a nuclear catastrophe in Europe?” said Sean Burney, Greenpeace’s nuclear energy specialist.
On November 25, United Nations human rights experts called on Russia to stop its missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. They also emphasized the lack of IAEA plans for its missions at critical substations, warning of the risk of a nuclear disaster that could potentially surpass both the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine.
As a reminder, Greenpeace is calling on the IAEA to step up inspections of nuclear power plants in Ukraine as the war enters a “uniquely dangerous phase.” Greenpeace also calls for the immediate deployment of an IAEA safeguard mission to Ukraine to avoid a nuclear disaster.
In addition, Magate has the ability to impose sanctions on the Russian company Rosatom and revoke its permit/license to build nuclear power plants in the following countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Hungary. This will reduce the flow of foreign exchange earnings to Putin’s dictatorial regime.
