Russian troops occupy Zaporizhzhia Nuclear power plant: IAEA Director-General

Vienna [Austria], March 4 (ANI): Russian troops have occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, where a fire that had threatened potential disaster was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, said Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi on Friday.
#Ukraine informed IAEA that Russian forces took control of the site of #Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant; says safety systems of the plant's six reactors had not been affected and there has been no release of radioactive material. Two people were reported injured," IAEA tweeted.
Briefing on the Russian attack on the facility, the Director-General said, "A projectile hit a building within the plant site, this building is not part of the reactors, it is a training facility adjacent to the reactors. This caused a localised fire, which was extinguished by the local fire brigade at the plant."
The plant is the largest of its kind in Ukraine and contains six of the country's 15 nuclear energy reactors, according to IAEA.
Director-General of IAEA Rafael Grossi said that the safety systems of the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) were not affected by the fire, adding that adding there was no radiation release.
"It is important to say that all the safety systems of the six reactors at the plant were not affected at all and that there has been no release of radioactive material ... importantly, in this regard, is the radiation monitoring systems ... are fully functional as well," Grossi said in a press conference on the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant a
"The physical integrity of the (nuclear) plant has been compromised, we are fortunate that there was no release of radiation and that the integrity of the reactors themselves was not compromised," Grossi said.
Emphasizing the importance of ensuring the safety and integrity of a nuclear facility, he said, "It is time for action, we need to do something about this. I have indicated both to the Russian Federation and Ukraine, my availability and disposition to travel to Chernobyl as soon as possible."
The IAEA official also answered a question on whether IAEA would send its teams to Ukraine to assess the situation on the ground saying that IAEA does not intend to send its teams before a visit by the Director-General himself.
"The first thing we must have is a framework within which to operate and I would never put my staff in harm's way before going myself and trying to set up those conditions," Grossi said.
Earlier, IAEA had put its Incident and Emergency Centre (IAEAIEC) in full 24X7 response mode due to the serious situation.
Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that the site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) had been shelled overnight and Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi immediately spoke with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as well as the country's national nuclear regulator and operator about the serious situation. (ANI)