Will Grossi's visit prevent catastrophe in Zaporizhzhia?
Amid tight security measures since the start of the
Russian-Ukrainian war on February 24, 2022, Rafael Grossi, Director General of
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has paid a visit to Ukraine's
Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Grossi arrived at the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
in a Russian armored vehicle surrounded by heavily armed soldiers. This is the
second time that the UN official has visited the Ukrainian interior.
International warnings
The visit comes due to the international community's concern
about the safety of the Ukrainian nuclear plant, especially after Grossi's
repeated warnings about the station's fragile condition, as the last emergency
electric line was damaged in early March 2023 and has not yet been repaired,
and this line constitutes a last means to ensure safety and security at
Zaporizhzhia, especially by cooling its reactors.
Grossi warned of the escalation of military activity near
the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and called on Kyiv and Moscow to agree on
principles conducive to ensuring its safety. He stressed that he is working on
a security plan for a compromise that guarantees the safety of the nuclear plant,
so that the world avoids a disaster, through the commitment of the two parties
not to attack the station.
Pressure card
Experts considered Grossi’s visit to the Ukrainian nuclear
plant as a pressure card on Moscow that would reduce the severity of bombing in
the vicinity of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and work to reduce
the chances of a possible nuclear, environmental and radiological disaster at
any time, the effects of which would exceed what was caused by the leaks from
the Chernobyl reactor disaster of April 26, 1986.
Dr. Basel Haj Jasem, a researcher of Russian and European
affairs, believes that this step by the IAEA can be viewed as a result of its awareness of the possibility of a
nuclear disaster at any moment in Zaporizhzhia because of the continuation of
military actions in the vicinity of the plant.
On the other hand, Jasem said it is an attempt by the agency
to obtain any concession from the Russian and Ukrainian parties to turn the
danger zone into a safe area, and this is certainly in the interest of all
parties. However, in light of all parties
continuing upon their previous positions, it is too early to expect any result
from Grossi’s visit to the Zaporizhzhia station, and the visit remains within
the framework of the IAEA's continuous efforts.
Risky situation
Jasem concluded his statement by saying that Grossi had
previously visited the Zaporizhzhia plant in September 2022, when fears
increased about the possibility of a nuclear accident, but his efforts at that
time were not crowned with success, as the situation is still fraught with
dangers at the facility with the exchange of bombing, despite the presence of
IAEA experts at the station since last year.
It is noteworthy that, on March 9, the United Nations called
for the need to establish a demilitarized zone in the vicinity of the
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, especially as it is one of the ten largest power
plants in the world, and what is happening in its vicinity is an imminent risk
that threatens the security of the whole world.
At the same time, Moscow and Kyiv are exchanging accusations
of bombing the Zaporizhzhia station, which has increased fears of a
catastrophe, as Russian soldiers stationed in the vicinity of the station
confirmed during Grossi's visit that they were preparing for a possible attack
from Kyiv and that their main task was to “prevent the armed takeover” of the
plant by the Ukrainians.
