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Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Impeding IAEA Mission At Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant [1]
['Rfe Rl']
Date: 2022-09
Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Enerhoatom has accused Russia of impeding the visit of a mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to keep it from making an "impartial assessment" of the situation around the power plant, though President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the investigators could still play a role in avoiding a disaster.
Enerhoatom said in a post on Telegram on September 2 that the IAEA mission had not been allowed to enter the plant's crisis center, where Ukraine says Russian troops are stationed. It added that access to employees at Europe's largest nuclear power station "was significantly limited" and inspectors would struggle to make an impartial assessment of the situation.
"It is clear that under such conditions it will be difficult for the IAEA to make an impartial assessment of the situation [at the Zaporizhzhya plant]," Enerhoatom said.
"Instead, we emphasize that it is impossible to implement all recommendations for restoring the nuclear and radiation safety at the power plant provided by the mission while it is under the control of the Russian occupying forces," it said.
Enerhoatom also accused the Russian side of lying and distorting “the facts and evidence that testify to their shelling of the power plant, as well as the consequences of damage to the [plant's] infrastructure."
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Russia-imposed administration of the region, gave a different assessment of the visit, telling the official Russian state news agency TASS that the mission was able to see everything it wanted.
"Everything was quiet. Members of the IAEA mission got access to everything they wanted. They visited the roof of the special building No. 1, where NATO shells landed, one of which penetrated the roof. They talked to the staff," he said.
Two IAEA inspectors will remain at the nuclear power plant once the current mission departs, according to Russia, even as heavy fighting continues to be reported in the southern part of Ukraine, including shelling in the Enerhodar district, near the Russian-occupied plant.
A day after the IAEA mission arrived at Europe's largest nuclear plant, Russia's ambassador to international institutions in Vienna told the RIA Novosti news agency on September 2 that six experts from the mission will stay at the site for several days, while two IAEA staff will be stationed there permanently.
The Vienna-based IAEA has not confirmed the Russian statement.
Both the Ukrainian and Russian sides accused each other of launching attacks on the area ahead of the mission's visit to assess the safety of Europe's biggest nuclear energy plant.
Ukrainian officials reported "constant mortar attacks" by the Russian forces that hit several civilian buildings on September 1. Local officials in Zaporizhzhya also said the Russians troops were shelling "the pre-agreed route of the IAEA mission from [the city of] Zaporizhzhya to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant."
In turn, Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of attempting to seize the power plant.
Enerhoatom said on September 2 that it had reconnected the No. 5 reactor to the grid after it was shut down due to the shelling.
"Currently, two power units are operating at the station, which produce electricity for the needs of Ukraine," it said.
The Zaporizhzhya plant has been occupied by Russian forces but run by Ukrainian engineers since the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say Russia is using the facility as a shield, storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it, while Moscow denies the allegations and accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on the area. Both sides say they fear a nuclear catastrophe due to shelling they blame on each other.
With reporting by Reuters
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[1] Url:
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-heavy-fighting-zaporizhzhya-nuclear-plant/32015347.html
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