IAEA delegation arrives in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia to inspect nuclear plant damage
Aug 31, 2022
Kyiv [Ukraine], August 31 : A fourteen-membered team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that has set off from Kyiv to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to inspect for damage arrived in the city on Wednesday.
The team of nuclear inspectors have arrived in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia under the leadership of IAEA head Rafael Grossi as he expressed confidence upon arrival at the power plant that the agency's mission to the plant can be carried out safely, Sputnik reported on Wednesday.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP has been routinely shelled by Ukrainian troops as they seek to wrestle control of the nuclear site from Russia.
Meanwhile, a member of the main council of the regional administration Vladimir Rogov said that a Ukrainian sabotage group was plotting a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) during the visit of the IAEA expert mission to show that Russia is unable to provide security, Sputnik reported on Wednesday citing sources.
"According to preliminary data, the terrorist attack was being prepared during the visit of the IAEA delegation to show the situation is not under control and that Russia could not provide security," Rogov said.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, located on the left bank of the Dnieper River.
During the military operation in Ukraine, launched by Russia on February 24, the nuclear plant and surrounding area fell under the control of the Russian forces. The NPP has recently been targeted by multiple shelling, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident while Russia and Ukraine continue to blame each other for the shelling incidents.
Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an informal conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron during which the leaders discussed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Notably, the IAEA mission consists of 14 experts without representatives from the US, the UK and Russia.
The IAEA inspection at the NPP will last from August 31 to September 3.
