IAEA chief denounces “deliberate” attacks on nuclear power plant in Ukraine

The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) denounced this Sunday “deliberate and selective” attacks against the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and called for “stopping this madness” of which Russia and Ukraine accuse each other.

“The news from our team yesterday and this morning is extremely disturbing,” said Argentine Rafael Grossi, head of this regulatory body for the HIM.

“Explosions occurred on the premises of this large nuclear power plant, which is completely unacceptable,” he insisted. “Whoever is behind this must stop immediately.”

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, controlled for months by Russia, suffered a dozen explosions on the night of Saturday to Sunday, some of them seen by IAEA experts on the scene.

Speaking to the French channel BFMTV, Grossi was clear: “The people who are dedicated to this know where they are attacking. They are absolutely deliberate and selective.”

The Argentine expressed outrage at the fact that some “consider a nuclear power plant a legitimate military target” and urged the perpetrators to “stop this madness.”

exchange of accusations

The IAEA did not attribute responsibility to either of the two parties who accused each other of bombing the nuclear power plant.

The Russian Ministry of Defense denounced that “the kyiv regime does not cease its provocations in order to create the threat of a catastrophe at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.”

According to its statement, the Ukrainian army fired more than twenty “high-caliber shells” at the plant between Saturday and Sunday.

Despite the bombing, “radiation levels in the area of ​​the plant are in accordance with the norm,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Instead, the Ukrainian nuclear agency accused Russia of having bombed the area of ​​the plant and of “organizing nuclear blackmail once again.”

“This morning of November 20, 2022, after numerous Russian bombardments, at least 12 shots were detected in the area of ​​the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” the Energoatom nuclear agency said.

Summary executions?

On the other hand, the Ukrainian Parliament responded to recent accusations of Moscow on alleged executions of Russian prisoners of war based on videos posted on social media.

The recording, which could not be independently verified by AFP, appeared to show surrendering Russian soldiers being forced to lie down and then gunshots being heard.

Other images with dozens of bodies and a large bloodstain also circulated.

Ukrainian Parliament commissioner for human rights Dmytro Lubinets said the “video excerpts” show soldiers “pretending to surrender” to attack kyiv forces.

“Returning fire is not a war crime. On the contrary, those who use international protection to kill must be punished,” he said.

The UN warned this week that many soldiers captured by both sides are being tortured and said it had received “credible allegations” of summary executions of Russian prisoners of war.

Jerson in the front

On the front, the southern city of Khersonrecently liberated by Ukraine, was now facing shelling that forced some residents to leave.

“After yesterday’s shelling, my wife said: ‘Let’s not take any more risks and leave,'” said Yuri Mosolov, whose house stands next to an industrial area hit by shells.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed the Russians to the other bank of the Dnieper river that borders the city, but the battle is not over.

“Artillery duels continue… Kherson is now the front line,” said Dmytro Pletenchuk, Ukraine’s military spokesman in the area.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also reported in his daily address almost 400 Russian attacks in the east of the country on Sunday, with battles especially intense in the Donetsk region.