Ukrainian Experts Warn of Acute Nuclear Risk at Occupied Zaporizhzhia Plant as IAEA Role Is Questioned

Overview

• At a March 17 press conference in Kyiv, Ukrainian engineers said combat conditions have pushed the probability of reactor core damage at Zaporizhzhia close to one, according to their calculations.
• Participants argued the IAEA is not exercising real oversight at the occupied plant and is significantly influenced by Russia, describing the agency as acting mainly as a go-between.
• The IAEA Board of Governors has adopted a resolution recognizing direct nuclear-safety consequences from Russia’s systematic strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
• The experts urged audits of physical security at nuclear sites, personal accountability for security failures, and legal or physical measures to prevent the plant from operating for Russia’s benefit.
• They warned that a severe release could exceed Chernobyl’s contamination due to Zaporizhzhia’s larger fuel inventory and flagged uranium burial grounds at Zhovti Vody as a critical Dnipro-basin vulnerability.