The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is deploying specialists at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine, has announced that it will send teams to other Ukrainian nuclear facilities in the coming days with a view to tripling their number in the future.
A statement released on Friday evening said the UN agency “will soon be permanently deployed to all Ukrainian stations, including Chernobyl.”
The Agency’s Director General, Rafael Grossi, will visit the country next week to launch the new device.
The agency stressed that the decision “indicates a significant expansion” of its role after it has carried out limited missions since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Zaporozhye, occupied by the Russian army and very sensitive because of its proximity to the front line and subject to regular bombing, has so far received only IAEA personnel and has deployed “up to four” experts since September.
The agency said that from now on, “about 11-12 experts” will be in Ukraine at any time, who “monitor the situation and inspect equipment”, as well as “provide technical assistance”.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal announced in December after meeting with Grossi that these missions were aimed at “ensuring security” at five stations in the country, without specifying their schedule or size.
And in Zaporozhye, inspectors will also be deployed to Rivne, Khmelnitsky, Yuzhnokrainsk and Chernobyl, where the worst civilian nuclear accident in history occurred in 1986.
During his visit, Grossi will also meet with senior Ukrainian officials as part of his efforts to establish a “protective zone” around the Zaporozhye plant.
He has been holding consultations on this issue with Kyiv and Moscow for several months, but there is no result yet.
