The IAEA mission visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on September 1, 2022. The Director General of the IAEA mission has already left the plant, but 5 IAEA representatives will continue to inspect the plant. Unfortunately, Russian occupiers did not allow independent journalists to enter the territory of the occupied nuclear plant together with the IAEA mission.
Source: IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
“I am finishing my first visit to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. IAEA organization is here to stay and will maintain a continued presence at ZNPP,” Rafael Grossi wrote on Twitter.
Most inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency mission, including Grossi, left the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after their visit on September 1. 5 employees of the organization remained at the plant until September 3.
Grossi said that the mission managed to gather enough important information during several hours of work at the nuclear power plant, without elaborating on the details.
Unfortunately, Russian occupiers lie, manipulate and distort the real state of affairs at Zaporizhzhia NPP.
The inspectors of the IAEA mission moved around the plant and communicated with the employees of the ZNPP in the presence of the Russian military and “Rosatom” (Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation) employees.
Russians convinced the representatives of the mission that radiological, chemical and biological protection troops that are at the plant, and not the combat units of the Russian army.
The Ukrainian President hopes for objective conclusions of IAEA experts regarding the risks at the ZNPP.
“Russia did a lot of cynical things to deceive the mission, including by intimidating the residents of Energodar: the occupiers forced people to lie to IAEA representatives, hand over some papers, sign something, say something,” said the head of state.
At the same time, Russians did not allow Ukrainian and Western journalists to enter the ZNPP.
“The main thing that should happen is the demilitarization of the territory of the nuclear plant. This is the goal of Ukrainian and international efforts. And it is bad that we have not yet heard the appropriate calls from the IAEA. Although we talked about it with Mr Grossi at our meeting in Kyiv. It was the key – security point of our agreements. It was clearly stated: demilitarization and full control by Ukrainian nuclear workers at the plant,” concluded Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
See also: Russian occupiers are shelling the route of the IAEA mission to Ukraine’s nuclear plant
