Twelve countries have warned of the growing risk of a nuclear accident in Ukraine during Friday’s extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
- Twelve countries have warned of the growing risk of a nuclear accident in Ukraine.
- Russian attacks on energy infrastructure are worsening the country’s nuclear security.
- Reliable electricity supplies are essential for the safe operation of nuclear power plants.
- Putin agreed to suspend attacks on Ukrainian cities until February 1.
- Millions of Ukrainians were left without light, heat and water, the situation is critical.
Regular Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure not only exposed millions of residents to freezing winters, “but they also have a negative impact on the country’s nuclear security, making the chances of a nuclear accident a reality.” warned the countries in a joint statement.
Attacks on Ukrainian substations and increasingly serious damage to electrical networks by country threaten nuclear safety, it is stated in the statement. They also pointed out that reliable electricity supplies are essential for the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany, Portugal, Romania, the United Kingdom and Italy have joined the initiative.
Although nuclear power plants themselves produce electricity, they use external electricity supplies to cool the radioactive material in the facilities. In case of emergency, they use backup generators. If the cooling systems fail, the worst case scenario is the melting of radioactive material.
US President Donald Trump said at a meeting of his cabinet on Thursday that asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his military to refrain from attacking Kiev and other Ukrainian cities for one week due to freezing weather. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then announced on Friday that Putin had agreed to suspend attacks on Ukrainian cities until February 1.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent days have left millions of Ukrainians without light, heat and water. The situation is particularly critical in Kyiv. In some parts of the country, according to forecasts, the temperature could drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days.
