Ukraine Faces Rising Risk of Nuclear Plants Incident, US Warns
- White House envoy to the IAEA says danger is ‘real and rising’
- IAEA’s board of governors convened emergency meeting in Vienna
The turbine hall of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant in Varash, Ukraine.
Photographer: Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Russian attacks against Ukraine’s damaged power grid have increased the probability of a catastrophic nuclear accident, according to US and European diplomats at an emergency meeting of the United Nations atomic watchdog.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board of governors gathered Thursday in Vienna after Ukraine requested an extraordinary meeting following Kremlin strikes against electrical infrastructure. Two rounds of drone and missile attacks against power lines last month forced Kyiv to reduce output at the nine reactors still its under operational control. They provide the majority of the country’s remaining generation capacity.