All news

It would be good if IAEA left some experts at ZNPP — Russia's envoy to EU

According to Vladimir Chizhov, for the EU, the IAEA experts’ visit is an extraordinary measure, expected to calm the European public’s worries regarding the potential nuclear threat posed by this facility

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Russia’s permanent representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, has said it would be not bad if the IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi’s declared intention to leave some experts at the Zaporozhye NPP for further monitoring on site materialized.

"The Russian side initially advocated the speedy implementation of this IAEA mission. Let's hope that this mission, firstly, will reach its destination and no Ukrainian provocations interfere. It would also be very good if the intention announced by Grossi to leave some of the experts there for further monitoring on site were implemented. They will be able to see for themselves what flies in and from where," Chizhov said on Rossiya-24 round-the-clock television news channel.

For the EU, the IAEA experts’ visit is an extraordinary measure, expected to calm the European public’s worries regarding the potential nuclear threat posed by this facility, Chizhov added.

The IAEA mission left Vienna on Monday and arrived in Kiev on Tuesday. The delegation met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. On Wednesday morning, the IAEA mission’s convoy left Kiev for the ZNPP. The mission will assess the physical damage caused to the power plant and look into operation of the safety and security systems. The specialists will also assess the working conditions of the power plant’s personnel and take urgent measures concerning the NPP’s safety guarantees.

A UN source familiar with the details of the mission's activities told TASS on Tuesday that it included representatives from ten countries - Albania, Jordan, Italy, China, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, North Macedonia and France. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi leads the mission himself. The source explained that representatives from Russia and Ukraine were not included in the mission to ensure its neutrality and impartiality. He also noted that the inspectors would study nuclear safety at the power plant, and not political or military issues. UN personnel are responsible for logistic assistance - the journey to the ZNPP and security measures . The Zaporozhye NPP, located in Energodar, is under the control of Russian troops.