Russia blocks rotations of IAEA experts to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP

Russia blocks rotations of IAEA experts to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported this.

Russian troops also continue active militarization of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the surrounding area, deploying military equipment and servicemen there.

"If Russia is not stopped, its criminal actions at the Ukrainian nuclear facility could lead to a catastrophe, the scale of which was unknown to Europe until now," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry urged Moscow to immediately unblock the rotation of IAEA experts and ensure their immediate safe movement through the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called on the international community to take immediate steps to expand sanctions against the Russian state corporation Rosatom, its affiliated companies and institutions, as well as other key players in Russia's nuclear energy industry.

Separately, the agency emphasized the urgency of completely ending cooperation with the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear technologies, as well as limiting Russia's rights and privileges in the IAEA.

"We are counting on the active and effective efforts of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to counter crimes of the Russian Federation. The only possible way to restore nuclear safety and security in Europe is the immediate withdrawal of Russian military and civilian personnel from the ZNPP, its demilitarization, and the restoration of Ukraine's control," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated.