- An international delegation was due to arrive at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant on Thursday.
- UN and IAEA officials sought for weeks to gain access to the plant.
- Russia has controlled the plant and the area around it for several months, but Ukrainian workers are exploiting it.
A delegation of nuclear power plant experts in the hope of averting catastrophe was on its way to the Besieged nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya as Ukrainian and Russian officials blamed each other heavily for nearby military strikes.
Also on Wednesday, Russia’s Gazprom announced it would cut off the flow of natural gas through a major gas pipeline linking Russia to Europe for three days of maintenance, raising fears that Russia could cut off primary natural gas supply. part of Europe this winter. The Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline has only been operating at 20% capacity in recent weeks.
The Zaporizhzhya delegation, led by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, was in Ukraine and is expected to arrive at the Russian-occupied plant on Thursday.
“It’s a mission to prevent a nuclear accident and to preserve this important – the largest, largest – nuclear power plant in Europe,” said Grossi, adding that “we will have a pretty good idea of what happens” in a few days.
Grossi said his 14-person team could help bring “clarity” to the plant’s issues and help deal with conflicting reports about the condition of the facility, its operation and the damage it has suffered. during the six months of war. Tentative plans call for some members of the international delegation to stay at the plant long-term.
UN and IAEA officials sought for weeks to gain access to the plant, warn that fighting in the area could trigger a catastrophic accident. Russia has controlled the area for several months, but Ukrainian workers are still operating the facility.
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Missile strikes in the area are almost daily and minor plant damage is occasionally reported. The plant was briefly taken offline last week due to a fire on a transmission line, further heightening security concerns.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has urged Russia to demilitarize the area around the plant.
“They play games. They are playing with nuclear safety,” Borrell said. “We cannot play war games in the vicinity of a site like this.”
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On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of bombing – and Europe and the United States of failing to pressure Kyiv to end his alleged attacks. Zakharova accused Ukraine of “nuclear blackmail”, an allegation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly made against Moscow in recent weeks.
“Unfortunately Russia is not stopping the provocations,” Zelenskyy said in an address to his nation on Tuesday night. “The situation…remains extremely threatening. The occupiers are not leaving the factory, continuing to bomb and taking their weapons and ammunition.”
Gazprom’s announcement of the gas shutdown comes as no surprise. John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council at the White House, on Wednesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “weaponizing energy” but said Europe was ready.
“Germany will meet its gas storage target, despite Russian cuts, sooner than expected,” Kirby said. “And I know all of our European counterparts are focused on that.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is among European leaders calling for an urgent overhaul of the European electricity market to reduce the impact of soaring gas prices on the cost of energy.
“The pressure is so great that I’m really, really confident it will be done quickly,” Scholz said.
Contributor: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
