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Military operation in Ukraine

IAEA report on Zaporozhye nuke plant does not specify who shelled it — Russian envoy

Silence on this matter only encourages the Ukrainian side to continue rocket and artillery strikes, thinks Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna

Zaporozhye nuclear power plant Sergei Malgavko/TASS

Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

© Sergei Malgavko/TASS

VIENNA, September 15. /TASS/. The report of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant does not mention from which side the plant was shelled, this is the weakest and most problematic part of the document, Russian Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Thursday in a speech to the IAEA Board of Governors.

"Strange as it may seem, the report lacks any mention of the side from which the station was shelled. This, in our opinion, is the weakest and most problematic part of the report presented by the Director General. Silence on this matter only encourages the Ukrainian side to continue rocket and artillery strikes," the text of his statement posted on the Russian mission's Telegram channel reads.

Ulyanov noted that since IAEA delegates have been permanently present at the station since September 1, it is "not particularly difficult" to identify the side responsible for the shelling. The document also says that international personnel witnessed another shelling of the plant on September 3, but the "lack of clear and objective assessments gives room for insinuations."

Earlier this month, an International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) mission led by the organization's Director General, Rafael Grossi, visited the plant. The agency later published a report calling for the creation of a safety zone around the plant to prevent accidents caused by military operations.

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Foreign policy IAEA Military operation in Ukraine

Military operation in Ukraine

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