The International Atomic Energy Agency released its highly anticipated assessment of the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant Tuesday, warning that ongoing shelling poses a “constant threat to nuclear safety,” including the release of radioactive materials into the environment.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog detailed its findings on the “safety, security and safeguards” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is controlled by Russian forces in Ukraine. Inspectors left the site after an IAEA mission that overcame halting negotiations and the risk of artillery fire, with two representatives staying behind to monitor the situation. The report noted that shelling continues to pose a threat and has damaged the electricity network and buildings near the reactors. The agency also said the conditions under which Ukrainian staff are operating the plant are “extremely stressful” and “not sustainable.” The IAEA will brief the U.N. Security Council later Tuesday about the facility.
A backup power line linked to the Zaporizhzhia plant was disconnected to extinguish a fire but not damaged, the IAEA said. For safety, the plant is receiving electricity from its sole operating reactor, it said. Ukrainian state company Energoatom said earlier that Russian shelling had caused a fire, while Russia also accused Ukraine of shelling nearby. The Washington Post could not confirm either side’s claims. Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame for weeks for intensified fighting in the region, which raised alarm about a potential nuclear disaster.
Here are other developments in the war in Ukraine:
-The European Commission on Tuesday proposed the full suspension of a visa facilitation accord with Russia, a move aimed at making it more difficult and expensive for Russian tourists to get visas but not banning them completely. It’s now up to the European Council to adopt the proposal. The question of what to do about Russian visitors has divided the bloc. The Commission is also proposing not to recognize Russian passports issued in occupied parts of Ukraine.
-The Russian Defense Ministry “is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells” from North Korea, according to declassified U.S. intelligence. A U.S. official did not specify how much weaponry was involved. “This purchase indicates that the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence finding. Both Russia and Ukraine have struggled to source artillery shells for Soviet-era weapons.
-The flow of gas to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will not resume until Siemens Energy repairs equipment, the deputy CEO of Russian energy giant Gazprom told Reuters on Tuesday. The Kremlin has blamed Western sanctions for the supply halt, while European leaders accuse Russia of weaponizing energy. The pipeline shutdown puts Europe at risk of shortages in the winter as the world faces price hikes.
-Ukrainian officials say they made some gains in the occupied Kherson region, wresting two villages from Russian hands in the south. A Ukrainian presidential adviser said troops were also counterattacking in parts of the country’s east and southeast. The Post could not independently verify the claims. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that Ukrainian flags were “returning to the places where they should be by right.”
-A “referendum” in Kherson on becoming part of Russia has been “paused,” Russian new agencies said, quoting a pro-Moscow official in the region. Kirill Stremousov blamed security conditions but said Kyiv would not get in the way. Washington has denounced Russian plans for such votes as illegitimate “sham” referendums that seek to annex more of Ukraine.
-The Russia-backed leader of an occupied city in the Zaporizhzhia region was seriously injured in a car bombing, occupation authorities said Tuesday. In a Telegram post showing a burned-out SUV parked on a narrow street, authorities accused Ukrainian forces of blowing up the car of Artyom Bardin, the head of the Russia-backed occupation administration in Berdyansk, a port city in southeastern Ukraine. Bardin was hospitalized “in a serious condition,” the post said. The Ukrainian military did not immediately release any information about the alleged bombing.
-Russian President Vladimir Putin attended joint military drills featuring the Russian military, Chinese forces and participants from other countries on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Separately, Putin has approved a 31-page foreign policy doctrine on the values and interests of the “Russian World.” Its tenets include bolstering the global perception of Russia and ties with countries including India and China.
-A suicide bomber outside the consular section of Russia’s embassy in Kabul on Monday killed a top diplomat, a Russian security guard and four Afghans, according to Russian and Afghan officials.
(c) 2022, The Washington Post · Ellen Francis, Kendra Nichols, John Hudson, Emily Rauhala, Claire Parker
