As a series of shelling at the Russian-controlled Japoriza nuclear power plant in Ukraine feared a safety accident, Ukrainian authorities began to urgently distribute iodine tablets to nearby residents in case of a possible radiation leak. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is rushing to inspect the site. Suppose potassium iodide, a stable substance, is taken in advance. In that case, it is located in the thyroid tissue first and prevents radioactive iodine from accumulating in the body when exposed to radioactive substances later.

According to the Associated Press and The New York Times on the 27th, Ukrainian authorities began distributing iodine to residents living within a 56km radius of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant from the previous day. Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Riasico said, “The government does not have to buy as much as the capacity recommended by experts and live separately.” The NYT estimated that about 400,000 residents in the vicinity would be at risk if radioactive materials leaked from the Japoriza nuclear power plant.

Fighting has continued this month at and around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian troops in March. The Associated Press reported that fears of a radiation disaster are growing in Ukraine, where memories of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster remain. There are also concerns that if Europe’s largest Zaporizhia nuclear power plant explodes, the damage will be ten times greater than that of the Chornobyl disaster.

On the 25th, two of the six reactors at the Japoriza Nuclear Power Plant were temporarily shut down. A fire broke out near the nuclear power plant, destroying power lines that supply power to the nuclear power plant. There was no accident due to an emergency power operation. Still, if the power outage continued for more than 90 minutes, the cooling system could have stopped and caused “core melting,” in which the centre of the reactor melted. The paralysis of the cooling system also caused Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident as the tsunami cut off power.

Ukraine and Russia also engaged in a battle on the 27th, claiming their opponents shelled near the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia. Ukraine’s state-run Energoatom, in charge of operating the atomic power plant, declared, “The Russian military repeatedly shelled the nuclear power plant site over the past 24 hours, causing damage to infrastructure and risk of leakage of radioactive materials.” On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of National Defense claimed that “Ukrainian forces have shelled the site three times in the past 24 hours”. It said, “The radiation levels at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are normal.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the IAEA to visit early on the 26th, saying, “The situation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is still hazardous.” The previous day, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to Zelensky and said, “Russia should return control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to Ukraine and allow IAEA inspections as soon as possible.”

The Wall Street Journal said that the external power supply to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was temporarily suspended after the IAEA reported, “The IAEA inspection team is scheduled to visit early next week.” Concerns over an atomic disaster are growing following Ukraine’s announcement that all power supplies to the Japoriza nuclear power plant have been suspended.

According to Reuters on the 3rd (local time), the IAEA said on its official website that IAEA experts currently residing at the Japoriza Nuclear Power Plant recently heard from Ukrainian employees that the external power line had been briefly disconnected. However, the IAEA said it learned that the Japoriza nuclear power plant received electricity immediately through auxiliary power lines connected to nearby thermal power plants and could receive preliminary electricity if necessary.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the external power supply to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant that invaded Ukraine was temporarily suspended. Concerns over an atomic disaster are growing following Ukraine’s announcement that all power supplies to the Japoriza nuclear power plant have been arrested.

According to Reuters on the 3rd (local time), the IAEA said on its official website that IAEA experts currently residing at the Japoriza Nuclear Power Plant recently heard from Ukrainian employees that the external power line had been briefly disconnected. However, the IAEA said it learned that the Japoriza nuclear power plant received electricity immediately through auxiliary power lines connected to nearby thermal power plants and could receive preliminary electricity if necessary.

The Russian military also claims that Ukrainian troops were hit by shelling the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Russia’s Ministry of National Defense said, “250 Ukrainian naval troops tried to cross the lake near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant at around 11 p.m. on the 2nd, but (we) stopped it.” Earlier, Ukraine claimed that all power supplies at the Japorija nuclear power plant had been cut off due to Russian artillery fire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on the 25th of last month that the Russian military’s attack damaged the transmission line, causing the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to stop for the first time in history. Three of the four power transmission lines that supplied electricity to the Japoriza atomic power plant were damaged in the early stages of the war. Even one was destroyed by Russian artillery fire, and emergency power was activated.

When the power supply to the nuclear power plant is cut off, the system that cools the reactor heated by nuclear fission is paralyzed. This leads to “core melting” (meltdown) of the reactor, which increases the risk of radiation leakage. In response, IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Mariano Grossi visited the Japoriza Nuclear Power Plant on the 3rd with 13 experts, and six experts conducted inspections there until the weekend. Two of them will remain in the country indefinitely. The IAEA will report the results of the inspectors’ safety checks to the United Nations.