Grossi warns nuclear plants at risk

Rafael Grossi used a UN Security Council appearance this week to press a point he has made throughout the war in Ukraine: nuclear sites remain uniquely dangerous in any active conflict. The warning came as the International Atomic Energy Agency continues to monitor Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and after the agency earlier this year brokered a localized ceasefire to allow repairs at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. It also came as Russia and Belarus conducted joint nuclear drills that Moscow said involved the delivery of nuclear munitions to Belarus. The overlap has put nuclear safety, nuclear signaling and the war in Ukraine back into the same conversation. ### What exactly did Grossi warn about? Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that a direct strike on a nuclear plant could have the “most serious” consequences, according to World Nuclear News’ account of his briefing. The immediate trigger for that session was a reported drone strike near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, not Ukraine, but Grossi’s warning carried directly into the wider issue of protecting nuclear facilities during war. The United Nations said on May 19 that attacks on nuclear installations violate international law and must be condemned. Secretary-General António Guterres, in a statement cited by the UN, said he was deeply alarmed by reports of a drone strike near Barakah and repeated his call for fighting to stop completely. ### How does Ukraine fit into this warning? The IAEA said on January 16 that it had secured agreement from Russia and Ukraine on a localized ceasefire so repairs could begin on the last remaining backup power line to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. (world-nuclear-news.org) The agency said the line had been damaged by military activity on January 2, leaving Europe’s largest nuclear plant dependent on a single functioning 750 kV main power line. (press.un.org) Grossi said at the time that the temporary ceasefire was the fourth the IAEA had negotiated around the plant. The agency also said military activity that week had affected nuclear safety at other Ukrainian facilities, including the Chornobyl site and one of Ukraine’s three operating nuclear power plants. The IAEA said in a January 30 statement to its Board of Governors that the conflict in Ukraine remained the world’s biggest threat to nuclear safety. (iaea.org) That framing helps explain why Grossi has continued to argue for protection of nuclear infrastructure even when fighting eases in one area. ### Why are Belarus and Russia part of the story now? (iaea.org) Russia’s Defence Ministry said on May 21 that nuclear munitions had been delivered to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of joint drills, according to Reuters. Reuters reported that the three-day exercise began on Tuesday and involved 64,000 personnel across Russia and Belarus, with training tied to the preparation and use of nuclear forces in the event of aggression. (iaea.org) CBS News, citing AFP and Russian statements, also reported that Russia said “nuclear munitions” had been delivered to Belarus for the exercises. Belarus has been a staging ground for Russian military operations before, and the current drills add a nuclear dimension to that role. ### What did NATO say in response? Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, said on May 20 that if Russia used nuclear weapons against Ukraine, the reaction would be “devastating,” according to multiple reports from his Brussels press conference. (usnews.com) He also said NATO was monitoring the exercises. Reuters reported that Moscow’s exercise included Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific fleets, long-range aviation and units from two military districts. (cbsnews.com) That scale is one reason the drills drew immediate attention from NATO and Ukraine. ### What should readers watch next? The IAEA’s next public updates on Ukraine’s nuclear facilities are likely to focus on external power supply, on-site monitoring and any new military activity near Zaporizhzhia or Chornobyl. (kyivindependent.com) The Russia-Belarus drills began on May 19 and were described by Reuters as a three-day exercise, making official statements from Moscow, Minsk, NATO and the IAEA the clearest next markers to watch. (iaea.org) (usnews.com)