IAEA Rotates Observation Mission to Russia-Occupied Largest Nuclear Power Plant in Europe
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted its fourteenth rotation of the monitoring mission at the Russia-seized Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Ukrainian commander of the Tavria Operational-Strategic Group, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, reported this on his social media.
"In Enerhodar, where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station is located, IAEA specialists are working, monitoring the radiation, chemical, and other safety components of the NPP. For this purpose, unit rotations involved in the monitoring mission at the nuclear station are carried out monthly," said the head of the Civil-Military Cooperation Department of Tavria Operational-Strategic Group, Oleksandr Savenko.
The Ukrainian military ensures the safety of IAEA mission representatives during rotation, including enforcing a complete ceasefire on the contact line and conducting demining of the area.
"There were cases of remote mine clearance, where our sappers from one of the units conducted demining. The mission has not left; it just moved upstairs. There were shelling incidents with small arms, mortars, and artillery," emphasized Savenko.
As a reminder, the Russian military seized the Ukrainian ZNPP in early 2022. This became a precedent for nuclear terrorism. Currently, the Russian military is stationed at Europe's largest nuclear facility, in violation of all safety standards, with military equipment and ammunition in the ZNPP's machinery rooms and the area mined.
The IAEA mission first arrived at the ZNPP in September 2022, with experts from Poland, Lithuania, Serbia, China, France, and other countries. The mission confirmed violations of seven key principles of nuclear and radiation safety, including the unlawful presence of representatives from the Russian state corporation "Rosatom" at the ZNPP.
Earlier, The Gaze reported that on the night of December 2, the ZNPP was completely de-energized and switched to supplying its own needs from 20 generators. These conditions pose a critical threat to the operation of the station. During Russia's occupation, this is the eighth power outage at the nuclear facility.
It is worth noting that Ukraine, along with ten other countries, recently joined the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the period from 2023 to 2024.
Photo: Rotation of IAEA staff from the Russian-occupied ZNPP, Source: The Gaze/Vlad Voloshyn 
Photo: Rotation of IAEA staff from the Russian-occupied ZNPP, Source: The Gaze/Vlad Voloshyn