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UN Inspectors¹ Arrive at Ukraine Nuclear Plant amid Shelling

A team of United Nations experts arrived at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power center on Thursday. But their arrival was delayed for several hours because of shelling nearby.

The visit from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came after months of negotiations² to get inside Europe's biggest nuclear plant.

The nuclear plant is controlled by Russian forces but operated by Ukrainian workers. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for repeated shelling near the plant. This has raised fears of a nuclear disaster like the one at Chernobyl in 1986.

Reuters reported that the 14-member IAEA team arrived in a large group of vehicles with a heavy presence of Russian soldiers nearby. The inspectors were led by IAEA director Rafael Grossi.

"There has been increased military activity, including this morning until very recently," Grossi told the Associated Press on the way to Zaporizhzhia. He added that the group decided³ to keep moving although risks remained.

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear power company, said Russian shelling had led to the shutdown of one of its reactors⁵. The company said shelling had damaged a backup power supply line used for local needs.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia expects "impartiality⁶" from the team. "We are taking all the necessary measures to ensure that the plant is secure, that it functions safely and that the mission accomplishes all of its plans there," he said.

The Zaporizhzhia plant has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the six-month-long war. Ukrainian officials said Russia has been storing weapons at the plant and using it to attack surrounding areas. But Russia accused Ukraine of firing on the area.

Fighting in early March caused a fire at a training center. In recent days, the plant was temporarily disconnected from power lines because of damage, raising fears of a radiation leak or a reactor⁴ meltdown. Officials have begun giving anti-radiation iodine⁷ medicine to local people.

Grossi said, "we are going to start immediately an assessment⁸ of the security and the safety situation at the plant." He added, "I am going to consider the possibility of establishing a continued presence of the IAEA at the plant."

IAEA spokesperson Michael Amdi Madsen said earlier in the week that the team would investigate the working conditions at the plant. Experts have expressed concern that Ukrainian operators are overworked and suffering from severe tension from the occupation of the plant by Russian forces.

Ahead of the visit, Russia's Defense⁹ Ministry¹⁰ reported that Ukrainian forces shelled the area and tried to capture the plant on the Dnieper River. It said that Ukrainian troops arrived in seven speedboats but that Russian forces "took steps to destroy the enemy," using warplanes. Russia said some of the Ukrainian shells landed 400 meters from the plant's No. 1 reactor.

Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of shelling the town of Enerhodar and a pathway that the IAEA team was to use.

Words in This Story

plant –n. an industrial building such as a factory

impartiality –adv. treating all groups and people the same

function –n. the job or purpose of something

assessment –n. the act of making a judgement about something

1 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

5 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

6 impartiality   

n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

参考例句：

• He shows impartiality and detachment. 他表现得不偏不倚，超然事外。
• Impartiality is essential to a judge. 公平是当法官所必需的。

7 iodine   

n.碘，碘酒

参考例句：

• The doctor painted iodine on the cut.医生在伤口上涂点碘酒。
• Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.碘容易集于甲状腺。

8 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。