IAEA: One of the radiation monitoring stations near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been destroyed

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported the destruction of the external radiation monitoring station near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently under Russian occupation.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi made this statement, as reported on the IAEA website.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed by the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) that an external radiation monitoring station was destroyed by shelling and fire this week, further reducing the effectiveness of its off-site capability to detect and measure any radioactive release during an emergency," Grossi said.

He emphasized that this has further diminished the ability to detect and measure any radioactive releases during a potential emergency at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The monitoring station, located approximately 16 kilometers southwest of the plant, lost communication on Monday afternoon. Due to shelling, the IAEA team was unable to access the site to confirm the damage.

IAEA noted that out of 14 radiation monitoring stations within the 30-kilometer zone around Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, four have been completely lost, and others have intermittently stopped working due to damage.

Grossi pointed out that the operation of external radiation monitoring equipment is a crucial part of nuclear safety worldwide.

"The loss of one radiation monitoring station does not have a direct impact on safety at the ZNPP, but it forms part of a continuous erosion of a range of safety measures during the war that remains a deep source of concern," he said.