“We’re lucky we haven’t had a nuclear accident yet.” The IAEA announces how many incidents it has detected at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities

“We are fortunate that a nuclear accident has not yet occurred, and we must do everything in our power to reduce the possibility of one occurring,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

“A year has passed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine; for the first time in history, a war is taking place in the midst of the facilities of a major nuclear energy program,” Grossi said in the preface of the report.

“During the past year, several of Ukraine’s five nuclear power plants and other objects have been shelled,” Grossi recalled, saying that all the pillars of the IAEA aimed at guaranteeing nuclear safety are threatened.

Soon after the re-invasion began, Russian troops seized the former Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) in northern Ukraine, occupying it for several weeks.

On the other hand, on March 4, 2022, Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhia NPP, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. The nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine, remains under Russian control.

Grossi has been involved in negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow on the creation of a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhya NPP, but without success.

The Zaporizhzhia NPP has been shelled several times and suffered from power supply disturbances. IAEA experts have found such incidents almost every day.

In November, four Ukrainian nuclear power plants were disconnected from the external power source for two days. Nuclear accidents were prevented with emergency generators.

The IAEA has been monitoring the water level in the reservoir that provides cooling water for the Zaporizhia NPP for several weeks.

The IAEA report said that the water level in the reservoir has decreased since the start of the war and, although it does not pose an immediate risk to nuclear safety, it could be a serious concern if the water level continues to decrease.

Kyiv blames Moscow for this situation.