UN nuclear team arrives at Zaporizhzhia

International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi led the team as it arrived at the contested nuclear plant Thursday. Fighting had continued up until the morning of the visit, Grossi said later. In a video posted to Twitter that showed the plant in the background, he also said that his team would be staying and have a “continued presence” at the facility. Grossi said the team’s assessment of the plant was not yet complete. 

Is there a risk of nuclear disaster? Grossi said that the staff manning the plant was professional in their work. The UN team has not raised any alarms about a potential nuclear meltdown. Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, Energoatom, said one of the nuclear reactors at the plant was shut down after being damaged. Artillery also knocked the facility offline briefly in recent days. Grossi said the nearby firefights were concerning and he will “continue to be worried about the plant” until the situation stabilizes. 

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD magazine about the quest to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes in Ukraine.