Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that a large number of Russian tanks and infantry “broke through the block-post” to the town of Enerhodar, a few kilometres from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
In an urgent letter to the Director General, the Ukraine regulatory authority added that Russian infantry troops were moving directly towards the site of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant. “The battle is going on in the town of Enerhodar and on the road to the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant) site,” it said, adding that the situation was “critical”.
Director General Grossi appealed for an immediate halt to the use of force at Enerhodar and called on the military forces operating there to refrain from violence near the nuclear power plant. He said the IAEA continues to consult with Ukraine and others with a view to provide maximum possible assistance to the country as it seeks to maintain nuclear safety and security in the current difficult circumstances.