IAEA observers report explosives in turbine compartment of ZNPP reactor

The representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported the fact of the Russian occupiers placing military equipment, weapons and explosives on the premises of the turbine section of power unit No. 4 of the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP in southern Ukraine, reported IAEA observers at a meeting between the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) and the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRI) about the activities of the mission at the site of the ZNPP, according to the press service of the Ukrainian nuclear agency.

SNRI recalled that at the end of July 2022, the Russian military placed heavy military equipment with ammunition, as well as weapons and explosives, in the engine room of power unit No. 1 of the ZNPP.

At the beginning of August 2022, reports appeared about the placement of military equipment also in the engine room of reactor No. 2 of the ZNPP.

Information about the storage of equipment, weapons and explosives in other production facilities of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, in particular in repair and mechanical workshops and on the roofs of power units, is also received by the SNRI through unofficial channels.

Irrational decisions and actions of the Russian military endanger both the personnel of the nuclear plant and the residents of nearby settlements, the inspectorate said.

In the event of an emergency situation at the ZNPP with a potentially possible release of radioactive substances into the environment, the consequences will be felt not only by Ukraine, but they will have a cross-border nature.