The IAEA at the Zaporizhzhia NPP: the mission stayed at the plant for only two hours, but managed to see the equipment of the invaders

Author

Iryna Maryniuk

On Thursday, September 1, the IAEA mission led by Director General Rafael Grossi arrived at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant held by the Russians for inspection. Russia had been refusing to allow the mission to the plant for quite a long time, but the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, helped to settle the issue.

The representatives of the IAEA arrived at the plant around 3:00 PM. At about this time, the locals wrote on social networks that the invaders were trying to prevent the mission from visiting the plant by carrying out provocations near the ZNPP using military equipment.

Despite this, the mission didn’t stop the inspection, which is very important to ensure nuclear safety. However, the inspection didn’t last long, as the IAEA representatives stayed at the plant for about two hours. After that, the majority of the mission left the ZNPP, leaving only a few of their colleagues there. Those who stayed at the NPP were supposed to unload the equipment they had brought and continue working at the plant. They are expected to stay at the Zaporizhzhia NPP until September 3.

The Ukrainian side’s response to the IAEA’s visit to the ZNPP

The Ukrainian side was disappointed by the fact that the delegation stayed at the plant so briefly.

The President's Office doesn’t understand how the IAEA specialists were able to comprehensively assess what was happening at the ZNPP and whether there was danger there, as well as to investigate the state of the reactor, in only two hours.

"It is surprising that the mission lasted two hours. But the IAEA says that its representatives will remain there on a permanent basis. However, in 2 hours, especially when Russians are hanging around you and telling you where the shells landed, you could only listen to fairy tales told by a Rosatom representative and nothing more," said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President's Office.

What the IAEA said about the visit to the ZNPP

After two hours at the ZNPP, Rafael Grossi was reserved in his statements. He said that, like most representatives of the IAEA, he would not stay at the station.

"I am finishing my first visit to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," Grossi wrote on Twitter.

At the same time, he asserted that during a few hours of working at the plant, the mission managed to gather a lot of important information and obtain explanations.

He also stressed that representatives of the IAEA would further stay at the ZNPP to obtain answers to a number of questions.

IAEA’s continued presence at the ZNPP

As was mentioned earlier, five members of the mission remained at the station. According to Grossi, IAEA representatives can stay at the ZNPP on a permanent basis, and he intends to insist on this and discuss this issue with Rosatom representatives.

Military equipment of the invaders at the ZNPP

A rather interesting moment was the video from the ZNPP posted by the invaders. Apparently, they wanted to show how they gave the delegation access to all premises at the ZNPP, but instead they showed that military equipment of the invaders was staying at the station — which, according to them, was not there.