Minister of Energy of Ukraine Svitlana Grynchuk took part in the 69th session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, where she called on the international community to take urgent measures to prevent further escalation at Ukrainian nuclear power plants due to russia’s criminal actions.
“russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is an act of nuclear piracy that threatens not only Ukraine but the entire world. It is necessary to guarantee full access of IAEA experts to all areas of the plant and to establish an international control mechanism over ZNPP for its demilitarization and return under Ukraine’s sovereign control,” emphasized the Minister of Energy.
Svitlana Grynchuk stressed that russia’s actions are incompatible with the culture of nuclear safety and security, ignore international norms and the IAEA Statute, undermine trust in the system of international guarantees, and create constant risks for Ukraine, Europe, and the entire world. In this context, Ukraine opposed the inclusion of russia in the IAEA Board of Governors.
The Minister reported that currently the ZNPP is operating under conditions of beyond-design-basis threat. The main source of water supply for reactor cooling has been destroyed, and the plant has lost all external power supply nine times. Due to constant Russian shelling, only one out of ten power transmission lines is currently functioning, increasing the risk of a complete blackout.
“Any attempts by russia to introduce new, unknown management systems at the plant must be considered as using ZNPP as a military tool and as a deliberate escalation of the nuclear safety threat,” Svitlana Grynchuk underlined.
According to her, since the beginning of this year alone, more than half a thousand flights of russian drones and missiles have been recorded within the 30-kilometer monitoring zones around Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, deliberate russian strikes have 13 times led to the complete loss of external power supply at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
“The world cannot tolerate nuclear blackmail. We call on all IAEA member states to remain united, to provide a resolute and coordinated response, confirming that peace, security, and international law must prevail without exceptions. Nuclear energy must never be turned into a weapon of war,” added the Minister of Energy of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Energy expresses its gratitude to the IAEA and its Director General Rafael Grossi for their constant presence at Ukrainian nuclear power plants, support for their safe operation, and the deployment of monitoring missions at energy facilities.
