BERLIN, December 12. /TASS/. Ukraine’s attempts to expand the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mandate to cover issues outside its expertise damage the organization's reputation, said Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's envoy to international organizations in Vienna.

"Until now, it had been believed that the IAEA deals with nuclear energy, not electrical energy. Kiev has decided to get that changed. Ukraine is attempting to expand the IAEA's mandate to include assessment of energy infrastructure and monitoring of individual substations," he said at a meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors.

Ukraine "misuses" the agency which seeks to provide technical support to member countries, so the agency also gets engaged in issues that are outside its expertise and finds itself drawn into "political games played by Ukraine and Western countries," according to the envoy. That inflicts "significant reputational damage" on the organization, he said.