Specialists in nuclear safety and non-proliferation are closely monitoring a significant expansion of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) presence across Ukraine, a move that agency chief Rafael Grossi describes as a technical measure to reduce the risk of catastrophic accidents amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. The deployment, which places IAEA experts at every one of Ukraine’s four operational nuclear power plants, represents an unprecedented level of on-site international oversight for a country in active war conditions.
IAEA Expands Presence to All Ukrainian Nuclear Sites
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations agency, has dispatched teams of experts to each of Ukraine’s four nuclear power reactors, according to agency chief Rafael Grossi. The largest nuclear plant in Europe and Ukraine is Zaporizhzhia, which is seized by Russian soldiers, already has a permanent presence of the IAEA. With a minimum of 11 employees across all nuclear plants in Ukraine, the IAEA has expanded to a level never before seen. IAEA personnel will also be present at Chernobyl, the now-defunct nuclear facility where a fatal nuclear accident in 1986 caused fallout to cover a large portion of Europe.
At a joint press conference with Grossi on Wednesday at the government’s headquarters in Kyiv, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal declared that starting the following day, “there will be two flags at all of the nuclear facilities in Ukraine; one of Ukraine and the second of the international nuclear agency.” Grossi’s promise of IAEA assistance to Ukraine comes as the nation is still reeling from two recent tragedies: a helicopter crash on Wednesday at a kindergarten in the Kyiv region that killed the country’s interior minister and about a dozen other people; and a weekend Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the southeastern city of Dnip that killed 45 civilians.
Grossi Visits Chernobyl and Rivne as Part of Mission
Grossi traveled to Chernobyl on Wednesday and Rivne on Tuesday as part of his IAEA staff installation and flag raising mission in Ukraine this week. According to him, personnel will stay at the site “as long as they are requested” by the Ukrainian government. According to Grossi, the IAEA flags flying in Ukraine are “not only symbolic.” “They represent and they will signify the presence of some of the most well-known professionals in safety and security who will offer guidance and technical help to each site, confronting specific challenges and issues as needed.”
The IAEA chief also addressed ongoing negotiations regarding a proposed safety zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant. “Although not as quickly as they should be, my negotiations with Russia and Ukraine are progressing,” according to a previous statement on Tuesday from Grossi. He stated at the news conference that the IAEA and the Ukrainian government were still in discussion over the creation of the zone. “We are getting closer to a positive result,” he remarked.
What to Watch Next
Observers will be watching for further details on the proposed safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as Grossi indicated that talks with both Kyiv and Moscow are continuing. The IAEA’s expanded on-the-ground presence, including at Chernobyl, will also be monitored to assess how effectively the agency’s technical guidance can mitigate risks at nuclear facilities operating in a combat zone. The Ukrainian government, through Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, has signaled its full cooperation with the IAEA mission, a stance that will be tested as the conflict continues.
