The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has traveled to Ukraine for talks with senior government officials on the delivery of "urgent technical assistance" to ensure the safety and security of the country’s nuclear facilities amid Russia's ongoing invasion.
"The military conflict is putting Ukraine's nuclear power plants and other facilities with radioactive material in unprecedented danger," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement on March 29.
"We must take urgent action to make sure that they can continue to operate safely and securely and reduce the risk of a nuclear accident that could have a severe health and environmental impact both in Ukraine and beyond."
Several of Ukraine's four nuclear power plants and some other nuclear-related facilities have been affected by the invasion, with some now under Russian control, raising fears of an accident.
Ukraine is also home to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant -- site of one of the world's worst nuclear accidents in 1986 -- where radioactive-waste-management facilities are located.
Ukrainian staff have continued to manage the site even after Russian forces took control of the plant on February 24, the day that Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.
"There have already been several close calls," Grossi said.
"We can’t afford to lose any more time. This conflict is already causing unimaginable human suffering and destruction. The IAEA's expertise and capabilities are needed to prevent it from also leading to a nuclear accident," he added.
The statement did not say how long Grossi would be in Ukraine.