Something happened that everybody had demanded from the IAEA from the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: the head of the International Agency, Grossi, presented a plan aimed at reducing potential risks from military actions near the nuclear plant.
Ukraine has been requesting clear documentation from the IAEA for many months. The public did not understand why the international organization is delaying and not providing official recommendations for the most dangerous object amid the war. Despite numerous expressions of “concern,” there has been no constructive, or it has not been disclosed to the public.
At the beginning of 2023, after another visit and analysis of the situation, Grossi gave an equally controversial conclusion. It stated that now it is too late and there is no way to avert the risks. Such a statement predictably caused a wave of indignation. The Russian army continued to place military equipment on the territory of the facility and even inside industrial buildings because they have very reliable armor that protects Russian weapons.
Captain Obvious
A few months later, Grossi still was able to issue an official document of a recommendatory nature, in which he laid out five points aimed at reducing the probability of a disaster at a nuclear plant:
1. Do not place military equipment on the territory of the ZNPP.
2. Do not fire both from its territory and in its direction.
3. Prohibit the presence of the military.
4. Guarantee the safety and protection of external power lines.
5. Carry out constant control over all the listed items.
Better late than never?
A question that naturally arises is why it took over a year for the IAEA to propose this course of action. Some sources associate this with the counterattack of the Ukrainian side and the de-occupation of the captured territories of the Zaporizhzhia region. Given the proposal’s details and the potential danger, it is reasonable to expect that any attempts to release the nuclear plant will involve siege and exhaustion of the Russian military that will be there.
However, the document presented by the IAEA Chairman is not legally binding. So, non-compliance with its terms will not result in immediate consequences. Thus, it has been termed as another act of “concern”.
