The staff of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant can no longer repair equipment or perform its maintenance. It is due to physical and psychological fatigue after continuous work for almost three weeks.
It is stated in the statement of the general director of the IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi, as informed by the press service of Energoatom (National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine).
"211 people – technical personnel and security personnel – still cannot change," the statement said.
Grossi recalled that employees of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant took over the shift on the eve of the Russian invasion of the facility.
"Since the situation is getting worse, the IAEA initiative to ensure the safety and physical safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine is becoming increasingly relevant," he said.
The day before it became known that Ukrainian specialists have resumed power supply at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the city of Slavutych.
As a result of the hostile actions of the Russian occupiers, The Chornobyl nuclear power plant was completely de-energized. The fighting made it impossible to hold the repair works and restore the power supply.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) lost contact with monitoring guarantee systems at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, captured by Russia.
Operations with nuclear materials at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant were stopped. Decommissioned nuclear reactors and facilities with radioactive waste are located on the site. The regulator could only keep in touch with the NPP by e-mail.
The IAEA reported that the agency's director Grossi is personally ready to go to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant to get security guarantees for all nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
The technical staff of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant – 210 people – worked all the time since the capture, Russia did not allow replacing employees. The staff had limited access to water, food, and medicine.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has started production under the article "ecocide" regarding the actions of the Russian Federation on Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia NPP.
The Intelligence Service reported that Russia is preparing provocations at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.