UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety in Ukraine

IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi warned: “I remain deeply concerned about the possible dangers facing the plant at this time of heightened military tension in the region.”

A person walks past a destroyed market after yesterday’s rocket attack in the city centre of Kostiantynivka (AP)

The UN atomic watchdog has warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety due to a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its experts deployed at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported hearing numerous explosions over the past week, in a possible indication of increased military activity in the region as the forces of Ukraine continue their counter-offensive.