IAEA inspection calls upon all parties to fulfill common responsibilities for nuclear security: China Daily editorial

Since the facility fell into Russian control in the early days of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been continuously shelled, with Russia and Ukraine each accusing the other of reckless actions that risk a nuclear disaster.

The widespread fears of a radioactive incident at the Zaporizhzhia facility, which has six reactors and is the largest nuclear facility throughout Europe, have increased as Ukraine intensifies its counter-offensive to expel the Russian forces that currently control the plant and the area around it.

The current and next main battlefield between Russian and Ukrainian forces is Kherson city, which lies some 201 kilometers southwest of Zaporizhzhia. Any damage to the plant may cause a nuclear disaster on the scale of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan, according to experts.

The plant went offline last week amid intensive fighting, and the dangers are deemed so high that officials there have begun handing out anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents.

The United Nations has appealed for an end to all military activities in the area surrounding the complex, and there have been calls for shutting down the plant and creating a demilitarized zone there.

The imperative need therefore is for the two belligerents to de-escalate their military activities in the area so that the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors that have finally gained access to the plant have full freedom and effective security guarantees to complete their thorough inspection of the plant, and follow through in the days to come.

The "Support and Assistance Mission", led by IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, aims to assess the physical damage at the plant, evaluate the conditions in which staff are working at the facility, and determine the functionality of its safety and security systems in the next few days.

As Grossi said on his departure, the intention is to bring clarity to the situation and help address any contradictory information about the status of the facility, its operation and the damage it has sustained.

It is to be hoped that it will be able to do so, and that both Ukraine and Russia will create the necessary conditions for the team to fulfill its mission.

Considering both countries should be well aware of the disastrous potential of a nuclear accident at the plant given the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine in 1986, they should have more than enough motivation to prevent another nuclear catastrophe.

The world and history will not look kindly on either side should they try and exploit the IAEA inspection by putting the plant at risk so it can blame it on the other.