Russia "Welcomes IAEA Inspection Team's Visit to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant... Actively Cooperates with Inspection Activities"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Russian government has expressed its welcome to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection team dispatched to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine for safety inspections and stated its intention to actively cooperate in the inspection mission. However, as clashes between Ukraine and Russia continue, the IAEA inspection team is expected to face significant restrictions in their activities due to difficulties in accessing the Zaporizhzhia plant itself.

On the 31st (local time), according to Russia's TASS news agency, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing, "We are doing our best to ensure that the IAEA inspection team's visit to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant can be successful and conducted safely," adding, "We hope the inspection team can examine the on-site situation and all details and assess the consequences of Ukraine's inhumane attacks." She further emphasized, "Through this inspection, we hope it will be confirmed that the worsening situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant is entirely due to the Ukrainian military, as claimed by Russia."

The IAEA inspection team, which arrived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on the 30th, reportedly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and then traveled by vehicle to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA and head of the inspection team, stated at a press conference before departing for Zaporizhzhia, "This mission is very complex," and urged, "Not only Russia but also Ukraine must guarantee safety."

The inspection is expected to take at least one to two days, during which the team plans to verify the safety management system and the possibility of radioactive leakage on site. It is also anticipated that six to eight IAEA experts will remain at the site after the inspection. However, since the nuclear plant area and its surroundings are a battleground between Ukraine and Russia, access to the plant itself is expected to be difficult, posing many challenges to the inspection activities. This is the first time the IAEA inspection team has directly entered a nuclear plant located in a conflict zone.

Meanwhile, the Zaporizhzhia plant complex, which houses six reactors, is the largest single nuclear facility in Europe. Russian forces occupied the site in March. As fierce battles between Russia and Ukraine continue over the Zaporizhzhia area, the nuclear plant buildings have suffered damage from shell fragments and fires, raising growing concerns about the potential for a major accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.