IAEA chief warns of risk of nuclear incident in Russia's Kursk region – Xinhua

MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) — International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi warned on Tuesday of the risk of a nuclear incident at the Kursk nuclear power plant due to the conflict nearby.

“There is currently a risk of a nuclear incident here,” said Grossi after visiting the power plant in Russia's Kursk region at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to assess the situation and work with Russian colleagues on solutions to current problems.

After visiting the main facilities, Grossi found that the nuclear power plant was operating under almost normal conditions.

Grossi said he had been informed of attempted drone attacks on the plant's facilities and had personally seen “traces of these attacks.” He pointed out that military activities near the nuclear plant ultimately raise security concerns.

Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of attempting to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant. The drone fragments were reportedly located around 100 meters from the power plant's nuclear storage facility.

The IAEA could propose a series of technical steps and measures to ensure nuclear safety, Grossi noted.

He said the United Nations nuclear watchdog had already established a framework for cooperation with Russia's state-owned nuclear company Rosatom, representatives of the Russian armed forces, security forces and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The IAEA and Russian representatives “are discussing what can be done to prevent radiation incidents at the power plant,” Grossi said. ■