The United Nations nuclear agency said, in a statement, that it had contacted the “competent authorities”, in an apparent reference to Russia, after being informed of Ukraine’s detention, after being informed that Ihor Murashov was “temporarily detained”.
In accordance with its mandate related to nuclear safety and security, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, the agency is looking forward to a speedy and satisfactory resolution of this matter.
The statement said the arrest had a “very important” impact on the safety and security of the nuclear plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March.
“The detention of a member of the factory team is a major concern, also because of the psychological impact and stress on the rest of the team, which puts nuclear safety at risk,” said Rafael Grossi.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency also stated that “its absence [de Ihor Murashov] It also has an immediate and critical impact on decision making to ensure the safety and security of the plant.”
IAEA experts at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant today reported several explosions that had no direct impact on safety systems.
Rafael Grossi continues to make efforts to agree and implement a nuclear safety zone around that nuclear plant as soon as possible.
For this, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, he is expected to travel to Kyiv and Moscow next week.
Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant since March 4, and in recent months have seen bombings that Kyiv and Moscow blame on each other.
Ukraine accused Russia today of kidnapping the director of a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin formalized the annexation of that Ukrainian region.
State-owned Energoatom, which operates Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, said Russian forces stopped Ihor Murakov’s car on Friday afternoon, blindfolded her and took her to an unknown location.
“His arrest threatens the security of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” the president of Energoatum Petro Cotten was quoted by the Associated Press of America as saying.
Kotin demanded the immediate release of Murakov.
Russia has not yet commented on the accusation.
Ukraine has four nuclear power plants in operation, with a total of 15 reactors, six of them are in Zaporizhia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed, on Friday, the Treaty of Zaporizhia integration into the Russian Federation, along with the Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson regions.
The decision came after wartime referendums whose legitimacy was rejected by Ukraine and the international community.
Russia used the same method to annex Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.
The current conflict in Ukraine erupted due to the Russian invasion of the neighboring country on February 24 of this year.
