Alert in Ukraine: they confirm that a nuclear waste warehouse was hit by missiles in Kiev

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the UN confirmed this Sunday that a nuclear waste warehouse in Kiev, the capital of Ukrainewas hit on the night of Saturday to Sunday by missiles, without causing damage and without detecting radioactive leaks for now.

In a statement, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, explained that the nuclear regulator of Ukraine He assured that this morning he managed to restore communications with the attacked site and with the radiation measurement system.

The regulator’s experts they hope to receive “soon” the results of the radioactivity measurements of the place.

Employees of the facility had to spend the night in a bomb shelterbut they were able to go out later and analyze the situation.

This incident occurs, according to the IAEAa day after an airstrike hit the city of Kharkiv a similar facility, in which disused radioactive sources and other low-radiation waste from hospitals and industries are stored.

The IAEA It does not detail in its statement whether Russian or Ukrainian fire was the origin of these impacts.

“These two incidents highlight the very real risk that radioactive material facilities will be damaged during conflict, with potentially serious consequences for human health and the environment”Grossi said.

“Once again, I make an urgent and firm appeal to all parties to refrain from carrying out any military or other action that could threaten the security of these facilities,” said the person in charge of IAEA.

Although these facilities do not contain highly radioactive waste, these materials can still cause serious contamination, which underlines the importance of protecting these places, Grossi concluded.

Two days ago there was fighting around the installation of the old Chernobyl nuclear plant, scene in 1986 of the largest nuclear accident in history.

The Board of Governors of IAEAthe agency’s executive body, is holding an extraordinary meeting in Vienna on Wednesday focused on the situation in Ukraine during the Russian military assault that began last Thursday.

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