Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
IAEA / GROSSI ZAPORIZHZHIA PRESSER
STORY: IAEA / GROSSI ZAPORIZHZHIA PRESSER
TRT: 02:58
SOURCE: IAEA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 02 SEPTEMBER 2022, VIENNA / AUSTRIA
1. Wide shot, Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi,
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“It is obvious that there is a lot of fighting in the region in general in this part of Ukraine. So, the military activity and operations are increasing in that part of the country, and this worries me a lot.”
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“We have been seeing military activity around the plant and I was able to see myself and my team, impact holes, markings on buildings of shelling which means that the physical integrity of the facility has been violated, not once but several, several times.”
4. Close up, graphics
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“In Zaporizhzhia, we have this unique unprecedented situation where you have a Ukrainian nuclear power plant which is controlled by the Russian occupying forces, creating a situation whereby you have a cohabitation of the operators, people, the Ukrainian people, employees and professional experts that have been working there and there is also presence from Russian nuclear experts and also military forces.”
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“There have been blackouts or interruptions of one, or two, or three of the lines feeding the plant from outside. At the moment here are two operational and we know also is that when there was one situation of a total complete blackout, the diesel generators operated normally.”
7. Wide shot, Grossi and team
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“We are establishing our permanent presence on site, this time with two of our experts with which we'll be continuing the work.”
9. Wide shot, Grossi and team
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“Of course, our trade is inspecting. The difference between being there and not being there is like day and night.
11. Wide shot, Grossi and team
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“Frankly speaking there are enough political players in this game and there are enough people saying what they feel or condemning one or the other. The nuclear watchdog has to remain what it is, the nuclear security safety and Non-Proliferation watchdog and it has to do a job to have its credibility.”
13. Zoom out, Grossi walks away
Upon his return from Ukraine, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today (2 Sep) said the physical integrity of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant “has been violated, not once but several, several times.”
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, “it is obvious that there is a lot of fighting in the region in general in this part of Ukraine. So, the military activity and operations are increasing in that part of the country, and this worries me a lot.”
He said, “we have been seeing military activity around the plant and I was able to see myself and my team, impact holes, markings on buildings of shelling.”
Briefing journalists about IAEA’s Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ), Grossi said “we have this unique unprecedented situation where you have a Ukrainian nuclear power plant which is controlled by the Russian occupying forces, creating a situation whereby you have a cohabitation of the operators, people, the Ukrainian people, employees and professional experts that have been working there and there is also presence from Russian nuclear experts and also military forces.”
Grossi said “there have been blackouts or interruptions of one, or two, or three of the lines feeding the plant from outside. At the moment here are two operational and we know also is that when there was one situation of a total complete blackout, the diesel generators operated normally.”
An IAEA expert mission finally arrived there on Thursday, following months of diplomatic negotiations. The 14-member mission deployed from Vienna on Monday in efforts towards ensuring nuclear safety and security at the plant, undertaking vital safeguard activities, and assessing the working conditions of the Ukrainian staff there.
The Director-General said, “we are establishing our permanent presence on site, this time with two of our experts with which we'll be continuing the work.”
He added, “of course, our trade is inspecting. The difference between being there and not being there is like day and night.”
Asked about the appearance of taking sides, he said, “frankly speaking there are enough political players in this game and there are enough people saying what they feel or condemning one or the other. The nuclear watchdog has to remain what it is, the nuclear security safety and Non-Proliferation watchdog and it has to do a job to have its credibility.”
The Zaporizhzhia plant houses six of the 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine. It has been occupied by Russian forces since the early weeks of the war in Ukraine, now in its seventh month. Both sides have accused the other of shelling the plant.
Download
There is no media available to download.
