Ukraine's nuclear regulator has appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for help in securing its nuclear power plants as Russia's invasion raises concerns for the safety of the facilities.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said at a special meeting of the agency in Vienna on March 2 that the UN nuclear watchdog was working with "all sides" to explore how the plants and their staffs could be supported.
"Since these consultations are ongoing, I would not be in a position to tell you right now what kind or when this assistance is going to be delivered," Grossi told a news conference, adding that it could include sending IAEA experts, but that is unlikely any time soon.
"Having access to what is basically a war zone would be extremely delicate," Grossi said at a press conference.
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Grossi reported earlier that Russian forces had taken control of the nuclear power station in Zaporizhzhya, the largest of Ukraine's four nuclear plants, citing a letter sent to him from Russian diplomats.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have said that the Zaporizhzhya plant and other nuclear power stations in Ukraine are operating normally.
Concerns have been growing about the safety of Ukraine's nuclear sites since Moscow launched the attack. Grossi repeated his warning that there was a risk of a serious nuclear accident as fighting continues.
"The best action to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and its people would be for this armed conflict to end now," he said.
So far, damage has been reported at two nuclear waste-storage sites as a result of the war, and Russian units captured the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
There was a slight increase in radiation readings at Chernobyl, site of a major nuclear disaster in 1986, after military vehicles stirred up radioactive soil.