Brussels 13.08.2024 The European Union considers it is important not to “speculate and hypothesize” on nuclear accident scenario, concerning Kursk nuclear power plant, and the Commission is hopeful that it doesn’t happen, but in such a case “there are systems in place in coordination between the EU and the international agencies”, the spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy at European Commission Tim McPhie  ( @TimMcPhieEU ) said during the Midday.

The concerns around the situation of the Kursk nuclear power plant have amplified in the context of intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops in Russian region after the Ukraine military incursion on August 6.

Russian diplomats have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that fragments of downed missiles were found on the territory of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant amid the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ offensive in the Kursk Region.

A letter from the Russian Permanent Mission to International Organizations in Vienna states that “fragments and remains – presumably fragments of downed missiles” were found on the territory of the plant on August 8. It is claimed that the fragments were found, among other things, in the area of ​​the radioactive waste processing complex.

No direct shelling of the city of Kurchatov, the nuclear power plant, or energy infrastructure facilities has been recorded yet, but “the situation in the city and at the plant remains tense,” diplomats say.

Earlier, on August 11, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi  ( @IAEAorg ) reiterated that any military action taken against nuclear power plant represents a clear violation of the five concrete principles for protecting the facility, which were established at the United Nations Security Council in May last year.

“These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now,” said Director General Grossi. The statement was made in the context of fire at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).