The Ukrainian nuclear authorities do not want the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to send experts to investigate the Ukrainian nuclear power plant near Zaporizhzhya.
According to the Ukrainian nuclear energy producer Energoatom, this would legitimize the Russian occupation of the plant.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi wants to send a team of experts to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. He said Monday that there may be a threatening situation around the nuclear power plant. Sufficient new parts would not be supplied to carry out the necessary maintenance. According to Grossi, Ukraine itself has requested the investigation, but Energoatom angrily contradicts this.
“We did not ask for this and the message from the IAEA chief is yet another attempt to get to that nuclear power plant anyway and to legitimize the occupiers and approve their actions there,” said an Energoatom statement.
The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, about 50 kilometres southwest of the city, is the largest in Europe. The Russians quickly gained control of the plant, partly because the Ukrainian soldiers withdrew there.