The head of the IAEA urged to immediately stop the shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi called for an immediate halt to all shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant due to the critical situation with the power supply at the station.

“I urge an immediate halt to all shelling in the entire area. Only this will ensure the safety and protection of personnel and will allow for a long-term restoration of power supply to Energodar and the station,” said Grossi (quote according to RIA Novosti).

He also once again emphasized the need to create a “safe zone” around the station.

Shelling of the ZNPP by Ukraine has not stopped since the beginning of August. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation insists that they do not use the facility for military purposes and do not place military equipment on the territory of the nuclear power plant. Against the backdrop of shelling and a threat to nuclear safety, an IAEA mission was formed to travel to the ZNPP.

The delegation headed by Grossi arrived at the station on 1 September. Experts inspected the area, accompanied by representatives of the Russian “Rosatom” and employees of the nuclear power plant. The missions also showed areas of the facility that suffered from shelling by the Ukrainian military. At present, there are two IAEA specialists as permanent observers at the NPP.

Following the visit to ZNPP, the IAEA published a report on the situation around the plant. The organization called for an end to attacks on the station and the establishment of a safe zone around it. At the same time, experts did not specify who was shelling the object. The report also says that several events have been recorded at ZNPP since spring that violate the principles of nuclear safety. Moreover, the mission’s specialists themselves witnessed the attacks on the object.

Later, the agency suggested that Russia and Ukraine conclude an agreement on the inviolability of the ZNPP. Grossi emphasized that the complete demilitarization of the entire surrounding zone is a more complex and “ambitious” task, so it is only about protecting the ZNPP along the perimeter of its territory.

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