Land mines are in place around a Russian-occupied nuclear plant in Ukraine, UN watchdog warns

By FELIPE DANA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.N. atomic watchdog says its monitors at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant report seeing anti-personnel mines around the site. The report comes as Kyiv pursues a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s entrenched forces after 17 months of war. The IAEA says having mines at the site is “inconsistent” with safety standards and nuclear security guidance. However, it said late Monday that any detonation of the mines, located in a restricted area off-limits to the plant’s Ukrainian staff, should not affect the facility’s safety and security systems. The watchdog has repeatedly expressed concern about the war leading to a radiation leak at the facility, which is one of the world’s 10 biggest nuclear power plants.