VIENNA, October 8. /TASS/. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi will soon visit Russia and then return to Ukraine to discuss the creation of a safety zone around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, according to a statement.

"The resumption of shelling, hitting the plant’s sole source of external power, is tremendously irresponsible. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant must be protected," Grossi said, as cited in the statement. "I will soon travel to the Russian Federation, and then return to Ukraine, to agree on a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant. This is an absolute and urgent imperative," he pointed out.

The IAEA earlier said that at the beginning of next week, Grossi would make a trip to Russia to hold consultations on the safety zone. In the meantime, the IAEA chief visited Kiev on Thursday to hold talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, located in the city of Energodar, is controlled by Russian troops. An IAEA mission led by Grossi visited the facility in early September and two of its members remained at the site as observers. The IAEA later published a report calling for the creation of a safety zone around the plant to prevent accidents caused by military activities. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the facility to the Russian Federation’s ownership.