UN Team Says Will Stay on Site of Nuclear Plant

By Staff, Agencies

UN inspectors will be “staying” at a Russian-held nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, after their first visit to the facility following a risky journey across the frontline despite early-morning shelling of the area.

Wearing bright blue flak jackets and helmets, the 14-strong team crossed into Russian-held territory, reaching the facility around 1200 GMT with the International Atomic Energy Agency chief describing it as a productive first visit.

“Today we were able, in these few hours, to gather a lot of information,” Rafael Grossi told reporters outside the plant.

“The key things I needed to see I saw, and their explanations were very clear,” he said. “It is obvious that the plant and physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times.”

After the inspection, in a video released by the Russian RIA Novosti news agency, Grossi said: “We have achieved something very important today and the important thing is the IAEA is staying here.”

“There is a group that is going to be [at the plant] until Sunday or Monday, continuing with the assessment,” he said.

Grossi did not specify how many people will be staying at the facility.

Despite a dawn shelling attack on the area that forced the closure of one of its six reactors, the team vowed to press ahead with their risky mission to reach Europe’s biggest nuclear facility which is located on the frontlines of the fighting.