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Military operation in Ukraine

IAEA head passes checkpoint in liberated part of Zaporozhye Region — local official

Yevgeny Balitsky said that it was clear the mission would not be able to fit everything in 24 hours

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi

© AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko

MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has already passed a checkpoint in the liberated part of the Zaporozhye Region and it should take his mission about thirty minutes to reach Energodar and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the head of the regional military-civilian administration said on Thursday.

"Just now, Grossi has passed our checkpoint, some more cars are passing it now because there are a lot of vehicles. Currently they are on our territory, at our checkpoint. The main part of the convoy which was held up by the Ukrainian side has already been let out by Ukraine and currently they are going through quick control on our side already, and literally in a few minutes they will continue moving towards the nuclear station. It is clear that now they won’t be able to fit everything in 24 hours. That’s why they requested approximately two days for their work. <...> It’s a 30-minute drive from Vasilyevka to Energodar - that’s at the most, it is possible to get there even sooner," Yevgeny Balitsky told the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

On Wednesday, Balitsky reported that the authorities of the liberated Zaporozhye Region wouldn’t provide special passes to the IAEA mission and its members would have to wait in line to enter the region.

On Thursday, the mission left the city of Zaporozhye controlled by Ukraine for Energodar. The mission will assess the physical damage and the plant’s safety and security systems. The IAEA also plans to organize its permanent mission at the nuclear facility.

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Military operation in Ukraine

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