war in Ukraine Five questions to understand the situation at

war in Ukraine. Five questions to understand the situation at the Zaporijjia power plant

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this Thursday, August 18, 2022, almost six months after his invasion by Russia in Lviv in western Ukraine. But the three men also have the latest agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain to thank for “the need for a political solution to this conflict”, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. He also assured that “The question of the nuclear power plant [de Zaporijjia sera] also addressed.

Defined by the Kremlin as a key target since the first days of the invasion of Ukraine, the Zaporijia power plant passed into Russian hands on March 4 after intensive bombing.

Since that date, no one knows what is happening at the nuclear site and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is concerned. Daily reports of the fighting in the region give rise to fears that the belligerents may have missed a shot. Should we be afraid of a ” Catastrophe “in the words of President Zelenskyy?

Here are five questions to better understand the situation and issues surrounding this nuclear site.

1. What is the importance of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant?

Inaugurated during the last fires of the Soviet era in 1985 (a year before the Chernobyl disaster), the power plant near the town of Enerhodar (population 55,000) on the left bank of the Dnieper is the most powerful in Europe ten years later after the commissioning of its sixth reactor.

With a total output of 6,000 megawatts, it is capable of producing up to 38 billion kWh (kilowatts per hour) per year, providing enough electricity for four million households.

2. Why did Russia want to seize it quickly?

Built by the USSR on what was then its own territory, the nuclear power plant changed hands with Ukraine’s independence in 1991, two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

But according to Vladimir Putin, the Zaporijia site is legally returning to Russia and should feed the Russian population.

During the Donbass war in 2014, when Kiev’s armed forces confronted the pro-Russian separatists, they sent a platoon to capture the plant. This attempt was quickly foiled.

Postponed. On February 24, immediately after the invasion of Ukraine began, the Russian army advanced on the plant and conducted intensive bombardments around the site. Eight days later, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was taken.

3. What is Moscow’s goal?

The site is strategically located between central and south-eastern Ukraine. Since the conflicts in Donbass and Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin has wanted to connect the two regions and thus encircle Ukraine, while at the same time denying it access to the Sea of ​​Azov.

The nuclear power plant located between these two pro-Russian areas could therefore supply their population with electricity, but it could also further weaken the Ukrainian population.

Several American media have also claimed in recent days that the Russian attacks on Zaporijjia aim to divert the electricity produced by the plant to Russia.

“It would be the biggest power robbery in history” says Thomas Popik of the NGO Foundation for Resilience of Societies. “the equivalent of an annexation” adds Suriya Jayanti, former head of the Energy Department at the US Embassy in Ukraine.

4. Why is the situation dangerous?

Forty-eight hours before Vladimir Putin’s men took control, Russian bombing caused a major fire at the nuclear site. Due to the violence of the fighting, the fire brigade could not intervene. The catastrophe could only be brought under control on March 4th with the arrival of Russian troops.

The nature of the damage is quite vague, and the Kremlin’s statements on this subject are extremely laconic. However, international experts believe that the plant is “weakened” and potentially dangerous.

The situation is all the more tense as strikes landed near a radioactive storage building and caused a reactor to be automatically shut down.

In addition to the strikes, Ukrainian public operator Energoatom has denounced a Russian cyberattack “unprecedented” against its location on Tuesday 16 August, stating that its operations had not been disrupted.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the facility acts as a “Time Bomb” and a ” Catastrophe “ threatens all of Europe.

“Any radioactive incident at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant can deal a blow to European Union countries, Turkey, Georgia and countries in more distant regions. It all depends on the direction and strength of the wind.specified the Ukrainian President.

Zaporijia is significantly stronger than Chernobyl and could wreak terrible damage on the population and the environment for several decades. The Ukrainian government is preparing for all eventualities and is even conducting a simulation exercise in the event of a nuclear accident in the neighboring town of the power plant this Wednesday, August 17, 2022.

No one could have foreseen that Russian troops would fire on nuclear reactors with the help of tanks. It was unheard of”accused Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky during a visit on Wednesday, August 17.

“We have to prepare for all possible scenarios”he warned, accusing Russia of one “terrorist state […] As long as Russia controls the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, there are great risks.”.

Ukrainian aid is preparing for the possibility of a nuclear incident. | DMYTRO SMOLIENKO / Portal

Despite this threat, fighting continues around the site and the Ukrainians are attempting to retake the facility. Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of taking the risk of triggering a nuclear incident.

5. Can an agreement be reached to secure the facility?

Since the end of July, the Zaporijjia power plant has been attacked by several strikes, raising fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

An urgent UN Security Council meeting was held last week to try to find a viable solution and encourage the belligerents to move away from the site.

The United Nations said it could prepare an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to the nuclear complex if Moscow and Kyiv give their approval.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, also called for an immediate halt to military activities near the plant. The two countries said they would like to send an IAEA mission there.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, said the UN Secretariat believes it has the capacity, in terms of logistics and security, to allow an IAEA mission to travel to the facility as soon as possible.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said he was ready to send a mission to Zaporizhia and called on Moscow and Kyiv to work together. “The situation in the nuclear power plant is alarming”he said on Twitter. “Military actions endanger nuclear safety and security. You must stop immediately. A mission of the AEIA would allow us to carry out the necessary technical activities and exert a stabilizing influence.”. But since these declarations of intent, no mission has been set up and NATO is growing impatient.

On Wednesday, August 17th, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave his verdict ” urgently ” only “Inspection” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) takes place in the facility.

Occupation of the site by Russian soldiers “poses a serious threat to its safety and increases the risk of a nuclear accident or incident […] There is an urgent need to authorize an IAEA inspection and obtain the withdrawal of all Russian forces.”he said at a press conference in Belgium.

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