There is no protective dome, just a regular roof; the reactor core is quite vulnerable, says IAEA chief about Kursk NPP

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will visit Kyiv next week after his trip to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. He plans to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Rafael Grossi reiterated his deep concern over the clashes occurring near the Kursk nuclear power plant, stating that the aging Soviet reactors are particularly vulnerable. “They lack a protective dome, just having a regular roof, which means that the reactor core is quite vulnerable. And considering that you have advancing troops, objectively speaking, within artillery range, this is certainly a major cause for concern for me and the Agency,” said the IAEA chief.

The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located in the town of Kurchatov, 40 km west of the city of Kursk. Since August 6, clashes with the Ukrainian army have continued in the border areas of the Kursk region. On August 17, Rosatom head Alexey Likhachov told Rafael Grossi during a phone call that “information has emerged about an impending provocation by the Ukrainian armed forces” towards the Kursk and Zaporizhia nuclear power plants. He requested the IAEA chief to visit the nuclear plant to assess the security risks.

Today, on August 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an attempted attack on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant by Ukrainian armed forces.