IAEA inspectors arrived at the Russian-controlled territory of the Zaporozhye region

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) crossed the line of contact and are now in the Russian-controlled territory of the Zaporozhye region, informs “Interfax” with reference to the head of the city administration Alexander Volga.

“According to the latest information transmitted, they passed the Vasilievka checkpoint, and we are waiting for them in the city of Energodar within an hour,” he said.

Experts from the IAEA will have to inspect the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which is located near Energodar, and also assess the damage caused to it during the hostilities.

Earlier today it was reported that the fifth power unit of the Zaporozhye NPP in Energodar, previously was disabled due to shelling as a result of emergency protection. In addition, Oleksandr Volga also said in the morning that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted to land troops near the city in the Russian-controlled territory of the Zaporizhia region.

The IAEA mission, consisting of 14 specialists headed by the director of the agency Rafael Grossi, arrived in Kyiv the day before. According to The Wall Street Journal, the trip will last from August 31 to September 3. Grossi also said that he plans to create a permanent mission of observers. Earlier, Mikhail Ulyanov, permanent representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, spoke about the possibility of leaving part of the specialists on the territory of the ZNPP on a permanent basis.

Grossi pointed outthat the mission of the IAEA trip is to prevent a nuclear accident. Among the experts who went to the station, there are no inspectors from Russia, Ukraine and the United States. On August 31, a delegation of IAEA experts arrived in Zaporozhye.

During a special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian military took control of part of the Zaporozhye region, including Energodar, where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the ZNPP, is located. Subsequently, the station and the territory adjacent to it were repeatedly shelled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has repeatedly emphasized that it does not use the facility for military purposes and does not place weapons on its territory. The discussion of the visit of the IAEA mission to the station has been going on since the beginning of August, when the shelling of the nuclear power plant became more frequent.

Subscribe on “Vedomosti” in Telegram and stay up to date with the main news of the economy and business