【Reporter's Connection: The World Under the Influence of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict】
Guangming Daily reporter in Moscow Han Xianyang
On 30 August, an expert delegation led by IAEA Director General Grossi arrived in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. According to the New York Times, the delegation traveled through Ukrainian territory to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on the 31st and will work until September 3. Observers here pointed out that the inspection of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant by the IAEA delegation provided a rare opportunity to remove the "fuze" of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant leakage disaster that threatened the safety of all of Europe.
Guangming Daily reporter Han Xianyang provided a picture
Will Zaporozhye nuclear power plant become "Chernobyl second"
The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is located on the left bank of the Dnieper River, near the city of Energodar. The plant has a total of six VVER-1000 units with a power of 1000 MW, which was built in 1977 and put into operation from 1984 to 1996. Currently, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is the largest and most powerful nuclear power plant in Europe, supplying 25% of Ukraine's electricity.
In March, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was controlled by the Russian military. The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that in order to prevent the leakage of nuclear and radioactive materials, Russian soldiers need to defend the nuclear power plant. At the same time, in order to avoid further escalation of Russian-Ukrainian antagonism, Russia decided that nuclear power plants should still be operated by employees of the State Nuclear Power Company of Ukraine, and the International Atomic Energy Agency would avoid criticizing or condemning the Russian Federation.
Since March, Enier Godard and suburban villages near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant have been hit by shells and drones. As for which side does what it does and the size of it, Russia and Ukraine have their own opinions.
On August 4, Vishnevetsky, deputy director of the Department of Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in a speech at the Review Conference of the United Nations Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that Ukrainian saboteurs opened fire on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on March 4; On April 27, the Kiev regime dispatched two drones to the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant to carry out a new provocation; On July 18, Ukrainian forces again attacked the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant with the help of drones. He pointed out that the purpose of the Ukrainian side is to create a nuclear disaster, and "we have photos and videos that record the incident."
Kirilov, commander of the Russian armed forces' radiological, chemical and biological protection forces, said on August 18 that the Ukrainian army used rockets, artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out systematic strikes on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Since 18 July, the Ukrainian side has carried out 12 attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, including more than 50 shells and 5 drones at the plant and in the nearby city of Energodar. During the attack, the auxiliary support system of the nuclear power plant was destroyed, as were living facilities in the city of Aenerg Godard. He said that the purpose of the Ukrainian side is to undermine the order of the safe operation of the power station, create an "accident" in the nuclear power plant area, so as to establish a 30-kilometer-long isolation zone, blame the Russian side and make international public opinion condemn Russia for launching "nuclear terrorism."
In response to Russia's accusations, the Ukrainian side firmly denied them. On the one hand, the Ukrainian army issued a statement accusing the attacker of Russia. On the other hand, the Ukrainians claimed that their positions were constantly under artillery fire, while the Russian heavy artillery positions were deployed around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. In order to ensure safety, the Ukrainian side proposed the establishment of a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant.
Observers here pointed out that no matter where the attack came from, once the unit is damaged, the leaked radioactive material will bear the brunt of the threat to Ukraine, Russia, and all of Europe will be affected. The Ukrainian State Nuclear Power Company said on social platforms on August 28 that according to the wind forecast on the 29th, if a serious nuclear accident occurs, the radiation cloud "will cover parts of southern Ukraine and southwestern Russia." Countries such as Poland, Germany and Slovakia will not escape the fate, and the health of thousands of Europeans will be seriously endangered. At the same time, like the Chernobyl accident in 1980s and the Fukushima nuclear accident 10 years ago, the large number of migrants caused by the nuclear disaster could also trigger a humanitarian disaster, and Europe will have to take decades to eliminate the consequences of the disaster.
In addition, At the end of May, Grossi announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos that there were 30 tons and 40 tons of enriched uranium stored at the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant, and that "IAEA experts cannot grasp these nuclear weapons materials, and hundreds of kilograms may have been lost."
The United States ignored or even condoned a nuclear catastrophe in Europe
When catastrophe comes, Europe cannot sit still for the first time. On August 21, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Schoerz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held telephone talks with US President Joe Biden, calling for the safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, reaching a consensus to avoid military action around the plant, and urging the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit the plant as soon as possible to find out the status of the safety system.
The Russian side does not buy into the belated "attention" of the United States and the West, and constantly exposes that the United States is the initiator and behind the crisis of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Rogov, a member of the General Council of the Administrative Bodies of Ukraine's Zaporozhye Region, said on August 12 that the order to attack the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was issued by britain and the United States, and that the Kiev authorities were only the executors. He said the Ukrainian army tried to stop the Russian army from advancing by attacking the nuclear power plant and blackmailing Europe with a nuclear threat. Zyuganov, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Russia, also said on August 26 that the Ukrainian army continued to shell the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and the styrene chemical plant in Gorlovka, all of which were carried out at the behest of the Americans, and it was Washington that created unprecedented nuclear blackmail for the world in human history.
Russian Duma President Vorodin warned on August 12 that the shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant could lead to a nuclear catastrophe, and that the United States, the Kiev regime and EU leaders who have not taken any action will bear the responsibility for the consequences. The Russian Embassy in the United States wrote on the social media "Telegram" on the 19th that the United States blatantly lied about the Zaporozhye issue and promoted the Ukrainian army to carry out or lead to a man-made disaster. The US government's reckless rhetoric is unacceptable, and they praise the "impunity" or even unprincipled principles of Ukraine's behavior, encouraging the Ukrainian army to continue to systematically attack the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Faced with the threat of a nuclear catastrophe in Europe, the U.S. government seems to be avoiding the serious. On August 10, US White House spokesman Jean-Pierre spoke highly of the Ukrainian government's "sustained efforts to maintain nuclear safety under difficult conditions" and called on Russia to stop all military operations in or around the Ukrainian nuclear facilities and to hand over the nuclear power plants to ukraine completely. A U.S. State Department official said on the 11th that the United States believes that it is dangerous to launch military operations near nuclear power plants, and will continue to support Ukraine's call for the establishment of a demilitarized zone around nuclear facilities, urging Russia to stop all military operations taken at Ukrainian nuclear facilities and their vicinity. On the 12th, US Defense Department officials even innocently declared that the United States only provided Ukraine with the necessary defensive weapons, never pointed out how to fight with Russia, and the target of attack was also chosen by the Ukrainian side itself.
In response to the remarks of the US government, Pshkov, a member of the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament), expressed shock. He said U.S. President Joe Biden could have called Ukrainian President Zelenskiy to stop the Ukrainian army from shelling the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, but "it showed amazing irresponsibility." It's playing with fire." At the same time, European leaders have not taken precautions against the nuclear catastrophe caused by the shelling, "their careless disregard for the next Chernobyl disaster, the consequences of which will pose a great threat to parts of Europe".
The role of international supervision remains to be seen
The shelling of the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant has worried the United Nations and its atomic energy safety authorities. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said on Aug. 8 that the attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was a suicide and that the practice must stop. Grossi said military actions threatening the safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant were "totally unacceptable and should be stopped at all costs."
According to the New York Times, a total of 13 IAEA experts traveled to Ukraine, including from Ukraine-friendly Poland, Lithuania, France, Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, Jordan, Mexico and other countries, as well as Serbia and other close allies of Russia, including no Americans and British. According to the Wall Street Journal, IAEA experts can bring spare parts, radiation monitoring equipment and other necessary equipment to the nuclear power plant. Bloomberg News said the initial experts' plan consisted only of checking "whether the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has lost its stockpile of enriched uranium," and later decided to have nuclear experts and safety experts join the delegation to assess the shelling of the plant.
Russia, Ukraine, and the United States and the West have responded more positively to the IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on August 8 that the Russian side has long called on the international community to resolutely condemn the Kiev authorities' continuous and fierce military strikes against the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant in many aspects and at multiple levels, and to provide all necessary assistance for the plan of the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency to lead a delegation to visit the nuclear power plant. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov reminded on August 29 that in view of the fact that the Delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency will enter the inspection site from the area controlled by the Ukrainian Army, it is necessary to consider the safety risks posed to the delegation by the Ukrainian side's failure to stop shelling.
Macron said on Aug. 26 that the IAEA would send a delegation to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, and that France and the International Atomic Energy Agency had received safety assurances from Ukraine. On the 30th, Zelenskiy spoke with Macron to discuss the mission, schedule, logistics and security issues of the IAEA delegation.
Jenkins, the U.S. Under secretary of state for arms control and international security, said on Aug. 25 that the visit of the IAEA delegation was important to get Russia to halt military activities around the Zaporizhian nuclear power plant.
Russian analysts have different interpretations of the impact of the IAEA's inspection of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on Russia and Ukraine. Yevseyev, deputy director of the Russian-CIS Research Institute, believes that the visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency is indeed unfavorable to the Kiev regime and even the United States, so the Us and Western media are now scrambling to report how Russia is suspected of creating a nuclear disaster, how to interfere with nuclear power plant inspections, and how to cruelly treat Ukrainian operators and other false news. He said that it is not difficult for experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency to identify nuclear power plants shelled by Ukrainian troops, and the weapons used are most likely from the United States; At the same time, they could easily spot Russian air defense systems in the area of the power station during their inspections, although this was necessary to protect nuclear facilities.
Kalmeikov, an expert at the Russian Military and Political Analysis Bureau, pointed out that frankly speaking, the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency is pro-American, and the experts of the delegation will look for all the clues that can be used against Russia, and do not expect them to make completely objective judgments.
(Guangming Daily Moscow, August 31)
Guangming Daily ( 2022-09-01 12 edition)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily