- A new monitoring mission from the UN nuclear watchdog arrived at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
- The arrival of three inspectors, he added, was ensured by Russia’s defence ministry and national guard and followed “intense” consultations between the heads of Russia’s state nuclear power company Rosatom and IAEA.
A new monitoring mission from the UN nuclear watchdog arrived at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine for the first time through Russian territory, a Russia-installed head of the plant said.
The IAEA rotation came after weeks of delay caused by military activity around the site with each side blaming the other for violating rules to ensure the team’s safe passage to the plant.
“It is fundamentally important that the route passed through the territory of the Russian Federation for the first time,” Yuri Chernichuk, the Russia-installed head of the Zaporizhzhia plant in southeastern Ukraine, said in a video on Telegram.
He added that Russia’s defence ministry and national guard ensured the arrival of three inspectors, which followed “intense” consultations between the heads of Russia’s state nuclear power company Rosatom and theIAEA.
Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, in the first weeks of their February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It produces no electricity at the moment.
Russia and Ukraine have since routinely accused each other of firing on or near the station and risking a nuclear accident. The IAEA has deployed staff to the plant since September 2022 and is also present at Ukraine’s other nuclear plants.
Rafael Grossi, the IAEA’s executive director, has repeatedly urged both sides to refrain from any actions posing a risk to the plant.