MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to the international organizations in Vienna, has criticized International Atomic Energy Agency staff for filming Russian checkpoints as they were driving to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Speaking on Rossiya-24 television, Ulyanov said three IAEA employees filmed the checkpoints with their phones, and the incident was reported to Rafael Grossi, the agency’s chief.

"This was brought to Grossi’s attention, and he immediately ordered that the footage be deleted," the diplomat said. "I don't know, what is this, kindergarten? Grown-ups should have understood that they were near an area of military operations, or were they on some other mission? Anyway, it’s a shame. I know that our relevant services at the plant crack down on this fairly harshly."

An IAEA mission led by Grossi traveled to the ZNPP last week. The head of the international agency was shown the splash pools, a cooling pond, the condition of the valves and the consequences of Ukrainian shelling on the plant, including the premises of the Zaporozhye thermal power plant, which is an integral part of the NPP.

The IAEA director general said at a news conference following the visit that the mission’s main goal was to assess the situation after the breach of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and how its collapse affected the ZNPP. Grossi said ZNPP management had taken the necessary measures to stabilize the situation at the plant in the new conditions. He said the mission of IAEA inspectors will continue working at the ZNPP.