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

On August 27, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi arrived in the city of Kurchatov to assess the situation at Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant, which is only 40 km from the front line.

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

During his visit, Mr. Grossi thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for inviting him to visit the plant "in the current special conditions," according to Sputnik news agency.

After an inspection visit, citing signs of impact caused by 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 and the level could be equivalent to the Chernobyl incident, and called for all military activities to avoid targeting the nuclear power plant.

Before the visit, Mr. Grossi also repeatedly warned about the risk of disaster if nuclear power plants continued to be attacked, stating: "The safety and security of nuclear facilities, under any circumstances, must not be threatened."

The IAEA chief's visit comes amid Moscow's accusations that Ukraine has repeatedly attacked the plant. Last week, President Putin said Ukraine had attempted to attack the Kursk plant, a claim Kiev has yet to comment on.

The Kursk plant has four Soviet-era RBMK-1000 reactors – the same type as the Chernobyl plant. Two are currently operating and two are shut down.

Since August 6, Ukraine has launched a military operation in Kursk province. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that this military operation is aimed at establishing a "buffer zone" to protect the territory of the Eastern European country.

In response to warnings from the IAEA, on August 28, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow wants the United Nations agency to express a more objective and clear viewpoint.

“We want to see a position... not in favor of our country, not inclined to confirm Moscow’s position, but in favor of the truth, with a specific goal: to ensure security and prevent the scenario from developing along the disastrous path that the Kiev authorities are pushing everyone towards,” Ms. Zakharova stressed.

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