IAEA mission visits Zaporizhzhia NPP occupied by Russians

Enerhodar, Ukraine (Svidomi) — An IAEA mission has visited the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, says the agency's Director General Rafael Grossi.

"On my 4th visit to ZNPP, assessed observance of principles for protecting the plant & status of current power and cooling systems, levels of qualified staff, among others," wrote Grossi on his social media.

At a press conference in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, the agency's director general noted that the stations are staffed by half the number of personnel it needs.

"Compared to the normal number of staff that should be at the station (more than 10,000), we are now seeing a significant reduction, by half," the agency's CEO said.

Grossi added that those who have replaced or may replace the Ukrainian staff are not licensed, affecting the operation of ZNPP and nuclear and radiation safety.

Zaporizhzhia NPP is the largest in Europe. In March 2022, the Russian military seized the plant in the south of Ukraine. Ukrainian employees were interrogated and tortured.

It will be recalled that on February 4, the Russians called the mining of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant territory they seized "an acceptable practice" in response to the IAEA's report. In January, the mission reported that the Russians had denied IAEA staff access to three reactors at the power plant.