VIENNA, January 20. /TASS/. The landmines, discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts on the periphery of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are necessary for protection against saboteurs, Russian Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said.

"There is nothing extraordinary about the presence of landmines. It is a common measure of protection of the station from attacks and sabotage. The landmines are located between the outer and inner fences of the power plant. It is a restricted buffer zone. Power plant staff does not go there. The landmines pose threat only for rats, crows and potential saboteurs," he said on his Telegram channel.

He pointed out that, in accordance with the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the power plant administration is entitled to decide on protective measures on its own.

"The IAEA Secretariat would do good to remember that. Especially considering that Director General [Rafael Grossi] underscored in his five pillars of nuclear security, voiced in the UN Security Council on May 30, 2023, that it is crucial to make sure that the power plant is reliably protected from attacks and sabotage," the diplomat said.

Ulyanov pointed out that the IAEA staff first noticed the landmines last summer. Meanwhile, the Agency acknowledged that these protective measures are deployed in a way that poses no threat for the power plant facilities or staff.

"These landmines were removed in November. Now, they appeared again. Meaning, there is a need for that. This is hardly a sensation," Ulyanov concluded.

One day earlier, the IAEA announced that landmines were discovered between the outer and inner fence of the ZNPP. The Agency believes that this contradicts IAEA security standards.