The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, confirmed Monday that the Agency’s safety inspections have begun at the Zaporiyia power plant after a landmine cut off the supply to one of the reactors on Sunday.
Grossi said that the verification work at the two Ukrainian sites would soon be completed, in response to the request of the Zelenski government, and that he would provide his conclusions by the end of the week.
According to the agency, the reactor is currently partially powered by a nearby thermal power plant in order to carry out essential safety functions.
The IAEA representative also expressed concern about the working conditions of Ukrainian employees at the Zaporiyia plant who have been called by Russia to sign a new employment contract, in which the invading country would be listed as the employer.
This weekend Grossi acknowledged his frustration at the difficulty of establishing a safe zone around the nuclear power plant. Both countries hold each other responsible for attacks that on more than one occasion have disconnected the plant, Europe’s largest, from the power grid and seriously threatened the operation of its reactors.
