UN Nuclear Watchdog Reportedly Critical of Russian Invasion

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is very critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The body that monitors nuclear activities on behalf of the UN will hold emergency consultations on Ukraine in Vienna on Wednesday.

 

A draft text for the meeting of the IAEA board, in which 35 countries are represented, strongly criticises the raid. However, diplomats say a majority favours a “condemnation in the strongest terms of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine”.

The text is still under negotiation. If it is toned down, more countries could vote for it. Russia is one of the members of the organisation’s board, to which 173 countries are members.

Wednesday’s meeting is about the safety of nuclear power plants and the storage of nuclear waste. There are concerns about the site of the Chernobyl reactor that exploded in 1986, which fell into Russian hands last week. Although slightly more nuclear radiation has been measured, this does not pose a threat to public health, according to the IAEA.