Ukraine crisis: UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday

The United Nation nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors will be holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday about Ukraine crisis after Russian invasion, where war is raging in a country with four operational nuclear power plants and various waste facilities including Chernobyl.

According to Reuters, board members Canada and Poland called the meeting at the request of Ukraine, which is not on the Board, diplomats said. International Atomic Energy Agency member states that are not on the Board, like Ukraine, can call a Board meeting but the possible range of topics is wider if a Board member calls one.

"The IAEA Board of Governors will hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the current situation in Ukraine," the IAEA said in a statement, confirming a report by Reuters.

Expressing grave concern over the situation in Ukraine, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi on Saturday called on all parties to refrain from any measures or actions that could jeopardise the security of nuclear material, and the safe operation of all nuclear facilities, as any such incident could have severe consequences for human health and the environment.

In a new update to the IAEA, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine(SNRIU) also said its staff maintained regular contacts with the plants, the statement said.

"The safety and security of nuclear sites and material in Ukraine must under no circumstances be endangered. For now, the plants are operating as normal and their nuclear material remains under control. It is of paramount importance that this continues to be the case and that plant staff remain able to carry out their vital work without any undue pressure or stress," he said.

Russian forces took over the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) on Thursday after a fierce battle with the Ukrainian battalion guarding the facility, where nuclear radiation is still leaking from the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986.