IAEA chief says to visit Kursk nuclear plant over alleged drone attack

VIENNA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Thursday that he will visit the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) next week to assess the situation after Russia informed the agency of attempted attacks on the facility earlier in the day.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that he will assess the situation on site and discuss modalities for further activities needed to evaluate the nuclear safety and security conditions of the Kursk NPP during his upcoming visit.
According to the statement, the United Nations nuclear watchdog was informed by Russia earlier on Thursday that “the remains of a drone were found within the territory of the Kursk NPP” and that “the drone was suppressed in the early morning” of that day.
“The drone fragments were reported to have been located roughly 100 meters from the plant’s spent fuel nuclear storage facility,” the statement read.
Grossi warned that military activities near a nuclear power plant pose a serious risk to nuclear safety and security. ■