The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday issued a report on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) that called for the establishment of “a nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the Russian-controlled plant.
The 52-page report stopped short of identifying who has been behind the shelling of the ZNPP as Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the attacks. The plant and the territory around it have been controlled by Russian forces since March, giving Moscow little reason to attack the area.
The report said that IAEA inspectors observed shelling in the area around the ZNPP and examined damage said to be caused by recent attacks. “The team observed damage at different locations caused by reported events with some of the damage being close to the reactor buildings,” the IAEA said in the report.
The IAEA said that it observed a Russian military presence at the plant. “The team observed the presence of Russian military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various places at the ZNPP,” the report said.
The IAEA called for an end to the shelling of the plant, but Russian officials have reported more attacks. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of firing 20 shells at the town of Enerhodar and areas around the ZNPP and said three shells landed on the territory of the plant.
The fighting around the ZNPP has raised fears of a possible nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Ukrainian operators are still running the plant, and the IAEA said the stress caused by the Russian military presence and the shelling makes the situation “not sustainable and could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety.”
A pathetic “report” ignoring all the evidence. What a surprise, as we see the participants!
A report exactly as expected and although worthless, still not a suitable alternative to toilet paper.
The only sane solution is to remove Zaporizhzhia from the conflict. That means creating a demilitarized zone around the plant and evacuating all military personnel from the area. If there ever was a case for blue helmets providing security, this is it. Maybe China, India or the African Union countries could provide peacekeepers. But there should be no Russian or Ukrainian military personnel or operations around the plant. We can argue about who is to blame for the situati0n, but the plant must be demilitarized so it is neither a target nor a base for military operations
Dream on man. The idea of getting the UN Inspectors in was to issue a reason to get the Russians out and the Ukrainians back in. Now we have the totally biased report watch for the moves to try to move the Russians out.
That’s like saying that the only sane solution is for the laws of physics to change so that magicians really ARE pulling rabbits out of hats.
This is not going to happen, if for no other reason than that it would escalate rather than calm the conflict. Within minutes of your proposed “blue helmet” deployment, both sides would be yelling 1) the other side was using the DMZ as a troop movement channel and 2) that it was doing so with the cooperation and assistance of the “peacekeeping” force. Which would then put both sides in the position of having to put up — by attacking UN troops — or shut up.
Anyway, blue helmets are only good for raping the local daughters, stealing the movables, and collecting their per diem. The ZNPP is in the best possible hands. The optimal would be that NATO forbid its troops shelling, or attempting to sabotage it.
There is absolutely no “argument who is to blame”. The “argument” that Russia shelled themselves is beyond absurdity. Only the mindless credulity of Kool-Ade heads could fall for it. Ditto the 22 DOD bio-weapons labs that the fiendishly clever Russians had the DOD develop there over the past 8 yrs to use against the Ukrainians.
It seems likely that the shelling is being done by Ukrainian forces. But the Russians have been using the plant facilities to shelter military vehicles and personnel. UN observers reported Russian military vehicles sheltering in turbine halls and under an overpass connecting two reactor buildings. I can’t discount claims that the Russians are conducting military operations from inside the plant. None of this justifies shelling by the Ukrainians. But it is not in anybody’s interest to have military targets or military operations in or around the plant.
It there is a breach at the plant the closest victims will be in Ukraine and Russia. The Ukrainians and Russians
should agree in their own enlightened self interest to withdraw from ZNPP and establish a demilitarized zone around the plant.
There’s a critical difference between defense and offense. We only this week saw an attempted assault by British trained Ukro-nazi special ops. Demilitarized zone is unrealistic.
I wonder how many CIA agents are embedded in the IAEA.
The IAEA said that it observed a Russian military presence at the plant. “The team observed the presence of Russian military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various places at the ZNPP,” the report said.
“The 52-page report stopped short of identifying who has been behind the shelling of the ZNPP.”
I suppose they could take an educated guess.
Not to worry. All of Ukraine will sooner or later be a “safety zone”. That’s the whole point of the Russian operation.