VIENNA, April 21. /TASS/. Experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who are present at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), have reported shelling near the facility practically every day during the week, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement on Friday.

"International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts present at Ukraine’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have heard shelling almost every day over the past week and at one point were told to shelter at the site because of the potential dangers caused by continued military activity in the region," he said.

"I saw clear indications of military preparations in the area when I visited the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant just over three weeks ago. Since then, our experts at the site have frequently reported about hearing detonations, at times suggesting intense shelling not far from the site. I’m deeply concerned about the situation at the plant," he stressed.

Located in the city of Energodar, the Zaporozhye NPP has six power units with an aggregate capacity of 6 GW. Russian forces took control of the facility in February 2022. Since then, Ukrainian troops have been periodically shelled both Energodar’s residential quarters and the plant’s territory.

Grossi visited the Zaporozhye NPP on March 29. He inspected plant facilities that had been damaged in shelling attacks by Ukrainian troops. In particular, he could see the site between the coolant reservoirs at the fourth power unit that had been hit by a Ukrainian rocket. It was Grossi’s second visit to the ZNPP in the past six months (his first visit took place on September 1, 2022).

On April 5, the IAEA chief visited Russia’s Kaliningrad where he met with high-ranking Russian government officials to discuss issues of the plant’s security.