The head of the IAEA Grossi was surprised by Putin’s awareness of the situation at the ZNPP

Russian President Vladimir Putin is fully aware of the state of affairs at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, said Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adding that he was surprised. About this he declared in an interview with CBS.

“He knows every detail [обстановки на ЗАЭС]which surprised me. In a conversation with him, I noticed that he has very detailed knowledge not only about the layout of the station, but also, very importantly, about access to electricity, an external power source. This is an object that he knows – he knows very well,” he said.

Grossi also noted that during their visit, the IAEA experts were able to check everything necessary regarding the functioning of the station.

On November 19, Rosenergoatom reported that the Ukrainian military had shelled the ZNPP perimeter. The adviser to the general director of the concern, Renat Karchaa, announced “arrivals” in the spray pool – the cooling system, as well as in the square of the dry storage of nuclear waste. The shelling continued the next day, about 15 “arrivals” were recorded, including in special building No. 2, where fresh nuclear fuel is stored. Grossi later said that the IAEA plans to assess the damage after the attacks on the morning of 21 November. Grossi also stated that plans visit Ukraine and Russia again to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

Last week, the IAEA Board of Governors accepted a resolution urging Russia to abandon “unfounded claims” to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and withdraw its military and civilian personnel from the plant, transferring control over it to the Ukrainian side. The Russian permanent mission to international organizations in Vienna called this resolution “another step towards the politicization of the work of the IAEA.”

During a special operation in Ukraine, the Russian military took control of a part of the Zaporozhye region, including the city of Energodar, which houses the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the ZNPP. On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed international treaties with the heads of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions on the admission of regions to Russia. On October 5, Putin instructed to take the plant facilities into federal ownership and create the Zaporozhye NPP Federal State Unitary Enterprise to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities.

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