Questions, tensions swirl as U.N. mission heads to Ukraine nuclear plant
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Loading... - Birju Saibou
- 31 Aug 2022
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U.N. nuclear inspectors set off in convoy for Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Wednesday after weeks of shelling nearby sparked fears of a Chornobyl-style radiation disaster, with tensions rising between Kyiv and Moscow over the visit.
A Reuters reporter following the team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, said it was likely the inspectors would overnight in the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia before visiting the plant, which is on territory controlled by Russia, on Thursday.
Russian-installed officials in the area suggested the visit might last only one day, while IAEA and Ukrainian officials suggested it would last longer.
"We are now finally moving after six months of strenuous efforts," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told reporters before the convoy set off, adding that the mission planned to spend "a few days" at the site.
"We have a very important task there to perform - to assess the real situation there, to help stabilise the situation as much as we can. We are going to a war zone, we are going to occupied territory and this requires explicit guarantees, not only from the Russian Federation but also from Ukraine. We have been able to secure that," said Grossi. Read More...
