Russia accuses Ukraine of disrupting signing of agreements on safety of nuclear facilities

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow has added a new twist concerning the safety of nuclear facilities. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, it was the Ukrainian government that had disrupted the signing of agreements on the safety of nuclear facilities, Belta News reported on Friday. As per Russian MFA, Moscow was ready to sign the document which was prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but, it was Kyiv that had disrupted the safety agreements. "We were ready to sign the document developed by the IAEA in the form in which it was prepared. We were in the closest contact with Rafael Grossi on this issue." 

It is pertinent to mention here that the Russian forces had recently attacked one of the nuclear power plants last month. This raised grave concerns regarding the safety of the plant. Since then, the Ukrainian government has been alleging that the Russian forces are not giving proper space to the plant officials to run the hazardous site properly-- a claim that Moscow has denied multiple times. Notably, Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant has been undergoing decommissioning since the 1986 accident. According to IAEA, significant amounts of nuclear material remain in various facilities at the site in the form of spent fuel and other radioactive waste.

Power failure adds to war-ravaged Ukraine's woes

Nearly two weeks after Russian forces took control of the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine, a power cut at the decommissioned plant was reported earlier in the second week of this month. However, a day after a major power cut was reported, Russia’s deputy energy minister said that the electricity at the plant was restored successfully. According to a report by Washington Post, minister Yevgeny Grabchak, in the ministry’s news service, said that the electricity was restored with the help of experts from Belarus. However, the same confirmation was not immediately confirmed by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It noted that the power line that was damaged does not provide power to safety-related equipment. 

It is worth mentioning that Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill-intention to invade Ukraine. On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities of Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians.

Image: AP