IAEA Director General visited Kursk nuclear plant, what did he say that made Russia want "more clarity"?

On August 27, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, visited the city of Kurchatov to assess the situation at Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant, located just 40 km from the front lines.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi (center) visits Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant on August 27. (Reuters)

According to Sputnik news agency, during the visit, Grossi thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for inviting him to visit the factory "under the current exceptional circumstances."

Following the inspection, citing indications of the impact of drones on the nuclear plant in Russia's Kursk province, the head of the IAEA stressed that the risk of a nuclear accident is real.

He also warned of serious consequences if a nuclear accident occurred, potentially on par with the Chernobyl disaster, and urged all military operations to avoid targeting the nuclear power plant.

Prior to the visit, Grossi had also repeatedly warned of the risk of disaster if nuclear power plants continued to be attacked, stating clearly: "The safety and security of nuclear facilities must under no circumstances be compromised."

The IAEA Director General's visit comes amid Moscow's accusations that Ukraine has repeatedly attacked the plant. Last week, President Putin stated that Ukraine had attempted to attack the Kursk plant; Kyiv has not commented on this accusation.

The Kursk plant has four Soviet-era RBMK-1000 reactors – the same type as the Chernobyl plant. Currently, two are operational, and two have been decommissioned.

Starting on August 6th, Ukraine launched a military operation in the Kursk province. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that this military operation aims to establish a "buffer zone" to protect the territory of the Eastern European nation.

Following warnings from the IAEA, on August 28, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow wanted the UN agency to express a more objective and clear position.

Zakharova emphasized: "We want to see a viewpoint... not one that benefits our country, not one that leans towards confirming Moscow's position, but one that supports the truth, with a specific goal: ensuring security and preventing the development of a catastrophic scenario that the Kiev authorities are pushing everyone towards."

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-giam-doc-iaea-tham-nha-may-hat-nhan-kursk-noi-dieu-gi-ma-khien-nga-muon-ro-rang-hon-284156.html