A United Nations inspection team headed toward Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station on a dangerous, long-awaited mission to protect the facility and avert a disaster from the combat raging nearby on Wednesday.
Kyiv and Moscow once more accused one another of bombarding the vicinity of the facility overnight, underscoring the threat. Zaporizhzhia has the largest nuclear plant in Europe, AP News reported.
Early in March, fighting resulted in a minor fire within its facility, and in recent days, damage prompted the plant to be temporarily shut down--raising concerns of a radiation leak or a nuclear meltdown.
Residents in the area are now receiving anti-radiation iodine pills from officials.
Since the beginning of the six-month-old war, Russian soldiers have been occupying the facility, which is managed by Ukrainian engineers.
While Moscow accuses Ukraine of shooting carelessly at the location, Kyiv claims that Russia is using the complex as a shield, storing weaponry there and launching strikes from surrounding it.
United Nations Facing Serious Task Amid Disaster Threat
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been requesting access to the facility for an unprecedented wartime mission for months as the battle has progressed, and international leaders have insisted that the UN watchdog be permitted to inspect it.
IAEA head and mission leader Rafael Grossi stated that the "serious job" will begin on Thursday once the convoy of vans and SUVs bearing United Nations logos finally arrive in the afternoon in Zaporizhzhia city, still some 120 kilometers (70 miles) away from the facility.
He stressed the difficulties that lie ahead.
According to Grossi, the mission intends to "prevent a nuclear accident and to preserve this important - the largest, the biggest - nuclear power plant in Europe."
After the initial trip, the team will have a "pretty good knowledge idea of what's going on," he claimed, which will take a few days.
Grossi claimed Russia gave him "explicit guarantees" that the 14 specialists could carry out their duties.
Grossi also expressed his hope that the IAEA will be allowed to establish a "continued presence" in the area to ensure that mishaps will be prevented.
Russia and Ukraine Exchange Blame
Russia and Ukraine have been accusing one another for weeks of putting the safety of the Zaporizhzhia plant in jeopardy with artillery or drone strikes, fearing a radioactive disaster similar to that of Chornobyl.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, radiation readings at the site are typical.
Russian officials have refuted Ukrainian claims of irresponsible behavior and questioned why Ukraine would shell a building where its troops are stationed as part of what they refer to as a protection detail.
Moscow has claimed that the Ukrainians shelled the facility to stir up international anger, which Kyiv thinks would lead to the establishment of a demilitarized zone.
The IAEA examination, according to German Galuschenko, the energy minister of Ukraine, was a step toward "deoccupying and demilitarizing" the facility, accoridng to Reuters.
For the time being, Russia has stated it has no plans to reduce its troop presence.
In other battlefield events, per VOA, Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces were combing the southern city of Kherson for anti-Russian partisans.
According to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rocket assaults in the eastern Donetsk area the previous day resulted in four fatalities and two injuries.
Related Article : US Ammunition Stockpiles Seriously Low After Biden Administration Approved Kyiv Lethal Aid
