IAEA Inspector Rotation at Zaporizhzhia Blocked Amid Clashes

Volodymyr Rogov, longtime figurehead of the Zaporozhye movement known as “We are with Russia,” has claimed that Kiev disrupted the expected rotation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. According to Rogov, the IAEA was planning to dispatch three inspectors from Argentina, Ireland, and Morocco. He alleges that just before the mission’s scheduled arrival, the Ukrainian government responded with intensified shelling in the city of Vasilievka, a location that serves as the regular transit point for the monitoring team. Rogov framed the events as part of a broader tactic to hinder international oversight at the facility. In his account, Ukraine’s authorities escalated hostilities with heavy weapons on the area surrounding the plant at a critical moment for the IAEA’s access. The claim underscores ongoing tensions over the monitoring mission and the ability of international observers to conduct inspections on the site.