Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
UN says no sign of ‘dirty bomb’, N-plant off-grid
KYIV: The United Nation’s nuclear agency said on Thursday that its inspectors found no evidence to support Russia’s claim that Ukraine planned to build and detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb” with the intent of blaming it on Moscow.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the inspections requested by the Ukrainian government “did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials”. It said its experts carried out inspections in three locations in Ukraine and were given unfettered access to the sites.
“Based on the evaluation of the results available to date and the information provided by Ukraine, the agency did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at the locations,” the agency said.
Top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have made repeated unfounded claims that Ukraine planned to detonate a bomb that scatters radioactive waste in a false flag operation it would try to pin on Moscow.
This came as Ukrainian and UN officials reported that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems on Thursday after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off.
Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) requires to operate in-house safety systems, forcing operators to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored.
All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said.
“The countdown has begun,” Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to “maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode”, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. The IAEA confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators and said that underlines “the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the facility”.
Separately, the Kremlin said it had not committed to staying in the Black Sea deal, which has freed Ukraine’s grain shipments from a Russian blockade of its Black Sea ports, beyond its current expiry date of November 19.
G7 partners will now together kick off winter aid for Ukraine... We will not allow lots of people... to die from hunger or cold. ANNALENA BAERBOCK, German foreign minister