IAEA director general to visit Kyiv this week

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is visiting the Kyivska substation this week in his 11th visit to Ukraine since its war with Russia began.

The visit to the substation and to the capital of Ukraine will begin Tuesday Feb. 4, according to the agency’s website.

“I’m heading to Kyivska substation, critical for the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power, to assess damage and help prevent a nuclear accident,” Grossi said on the social media plaform X Monday. “An increasingly fragile grid poses a growing risk to all NPPS [nuclear power plants], not just ZNPP [Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant].”

According to a press release last week by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the team at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant hears explosions daily surrounding the plant due to military activity related to the war with Russia, which began in 2022.

“As long as this horrific war continues, the IAEA will remain present and stay active, focused on doing everything we can to support nuclear safety and security in extremely challenging circumstances,” Grossi said in the agency’s press release. “As the overall situation is still precarious and fragile, our work there remains essential.”