From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 27, 2022
IAEA calls meeting to discuss Ukraine; Russian missile hits site of radioactive waste
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that it is calling an extraordinary meeting of its board of governors next week “to discuss the current situation in Ukraine.”
The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) on Wednesday at the IAEA’s Vienna headquarters, the agency said in a statement.
It says IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi “is actively in contact with all involved to ensure the safety and security of nuclear facilities and material in Ukraine.”
Ukraine has four active nuclear power plants, as well as stores of nuclear waste such as the one at Chernobyl.
That was the site of the worst nuclear accident in history in 1986, and on Thursday the site fell to Russian troops.
Ukrainian authorities said that radiation levels had increased there following the Russian takeover, but the IAEA said the levels remained low and did not “pose any danger to the public.”
The IAEA also says it had been informed by Ukraine that “missiles hit the site of a radioactive waste disposal facility in Kyiv overnight but there were no reports of damage to the building or any indications of a radioactive release.”
Nevertheless, Grossi said such incidents “highlight the very real risk that facilities with radioactive material will suffer damage during the conflict, with potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment.”
The Times of Israel Community.