Provocation failed
The Ukrainian authorities attempted to undermine the Russian forces during the latest rotation of International Atomic Energy Agency observers at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to the press service of Russia’s Defense Ministry.
The ministry reported that during the movement of mission members the Ukrainian side tried to cast doubt on the security role of the Russian Federation as the guarantor of the rotation.
Russian defense officials said Ukrainian forces deployed equipment that simulated an ammunition explosion along the inspectors’ route. Despite this provocation, the Russian Armed Forces ensured a safe passage for IAEA observers to the station, the ministry asserted.
The observer rotation occurred near the road crossing over a destroyed bridge close to the village of Vasilyevka in the Zaporizhzhia region. A ceasefire within a one-kilometer radius of the crossing point was declared by Moscow to guarantee security during the exchange, and the ministry emphasized that the Russian forces adhered strictly to this regime despite provocations.
Why is the station protected?
The Russian Ministry of Defense noted that five IAEA inspectors moved to the station. Since September 1, 2022, mission observers have been stationed at what is described as Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Their task is to monitor the plant and assess security amid regular shelling in the surrounding area, following an initial visit by the agency’s head, Rafael Grossi, the ministry indicated.
Energy is generated at the six-unit facility in Energodar, within the Zaporizhzhia region, with a total capacity of about 6 gigawatts. On September 30, 2022, a presidential decree placed the territory under Russian control, with the DPR, LPR, and Kherson region included in the country. Since late February 2022, Moscow has maintained control of the station.
Russia has repeatedly accused Kiev of bombing the district around the ZNPP. Ukraine has countered by warning of a potential terrorist scenario that could release radiation, a claim Russia has rejected as false. Initially two IAEA experts were on site. Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the Rosenergoatom Concern chief, indicated in June that the number of observers would rise significantly in the future.
Periodic shooting
On May 30, Grossi recalled the ban on firing within the ZNPP zone. The IAEA director-general stressed that no attack should target the plant’s reactors, spent fuel storage facilities, other critical infrastructure, or personnel.
Grossi visited ZNPP again in June. During the trip, the convoy briefly halted due to shooting. The IAEA stated that the convoy was stopped at the moment of gunfire, which lasted several minutes but did not present an immediate danger to the convoy.
Earlier this week, the IAEA chief noted a heightened Ukrainian offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region and warned that these actions increased the risk to the ZNPP. He also pointed to intensified counterattacks in recent weeks. He stressed that the broader area, not the plant itself, faced the risk of an attack or damage as a result of these operations.
Reports of attacks in the plant area have diminished recently. One of the latest messages dated August 10 referenced an intercepted Ukrainian drone near Energodar, but IAEA experts did not regard it as an immediate threat. Last week Yevhen Balitsky, the deputy head of the Zaporizhzhia region, suggested Ukraine halted attacks due to concerns about Russian retaliation against other nuclear sites in Rivne or Khmelnytskyi regions.