Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must admit that threats to the safety of the Zaporizhia NPP come from Ukraine. This was reported by TASS, quoted by Focus.
Her comment is in connection with the canceled visit of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to the Zaporizhia NPP and the city of Energodar. According to Zakharova, the agency “has no choice but to acknowledge that the threats to the IAEA come from Ukraine“.
“We express our deep concern about the aggressive and malicious actions of the Kiev regime, which continues its provocations against the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, attacking the plant and its personnel almost daily and creating a real threat of a nuclear catastrophe in Central Europe“, Zakharova said.
Russia had earlier accused Ukraine of obstructing Grossi's planned visit, with Moscow saying Kiev had failed to provide the necessary guarantees for the IAEA director general's security. Russia claims to have provided the necessary conditions for the visit.
Ukraine has not yet given a public response to these accusations. The situation around the Zaporizhzhia NPP remains sensitive, with the IAEA continuing to maintain a presence of its experts at the nuclear safety and security monitoring center.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been under Russian control since March 2022. Since the beginning of the war, Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of incidents and attacks around the facility.