International Atomic Energy Agency experts have observed directional anti-personnel mines on the periphery of the site of Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
During a walkdown on 23 July, the IAEA team saw some mines located in a buffer zone between the site’s internal and external perimeter barriers. The experts reported that they were situated in a restricted area that operating plant personnel cannot access.
“Having such explosives on the site is inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant staff – even if the IAEA’s initial assessment based on its own observations and the plant’s clarifications is that any detonation of these mines should not affect the site’s nuclear safety and security systems,” Rafael Grossi stated.
