The Russian side is concerned about the situation with the rotation of representatives of the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhya NPP (ZNPP), which has already been disrupted three times by the UN Department for Safety and Security. This was stated on February 22 in comments Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
“In the period from February 7 to 18, 2023, the UN Department of Safety and Security disrupted the rotation of IAEA specialists at ZNPP three times without any clear explanation,” Zakharova said.
If the rotation does not take place after February 25, Russia will consider the actions of the UN department as an action to hinder the work of the IAEA mission at the ZNPP, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
She also drew attention to the fact that the lack of rotation plays into the hands of Kyiv, which is confirmed by the provocative statement of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on February 19 that allegedly it is Russia that is blocking the rotation. Zakharova stressed that there are no obstacles from the Russian side and cannot be.
On February 14, Volodymyr Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia movement, said that the Ukrainian authorities were preparing a provocation to discredit the operation of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. In his opinion, the focus is planned to be made on the alleged inability of Russia to guarantee the safety of the operation of the power plant, citing the low water level in the Kakhovka reservoir and the alleged threat to the reactor cooling system.
Earlier in February, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said that the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant remains unstable and unpredictable. He once again emphasized the importance of creating a security zone around the facility, noting Moscow’s efforts in the negotiations to promote this initiative.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna, in turn, at the end of January pointed out that Ukraine had not given an answer for the fifth month to the draft declaration submitted to it on the creation of a protective zone around the Zaporizhzhya NPP. He recalled that Grossi handed over the draft declaration to the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Kuleba on September 21.
Zaporozhye NPP is the largest NPP in Europe in terms of the number of units and installed capacity. The object came under the control of Russia following the results of the referendum on the reunification of the Zaporozhye region with the Russian Federation.
The power plant has been under the supervision of IAEA staff since the beginning of September 2022. The mission of the organization arrived at the Zaporizhia NPP after shelling of the territory of the station by Ukrainian troops.
