The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said on Monday morning that a team led by him had left to visit the power plant on the Dnieper River and would arrive this week, without specifying the day of their expected arrival. . “We must protect the safety and security of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear facility,” Grossi tweeted. However, rockets and shells often hit areas around the power station and nearby towns and it can be too dangerous for the mission to proceed. Captured by Russian troops in March but run by Ukrainian staff, Zaporizhia is a flashpoint in a conflict that has descended into a war of attrition fought mostly in eastern and southern Ukraine six months after Russia launched its invasion. Its satellite city of Enerhodar, also held by Russia, was hit overnight, setting residential buildings on fire and injuring at least 10 people, according to its mayor, Dmytro Orlov. “It is obvious that the [Russians] “developed” this scenario on the eve of the IAEA visit,” Orlov wrote on Telegram. Russia and Ukraine have swapped responsibility for the attack as well as previous attacks in and near the plant. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak described the attacks as a “cynical” attempt to intimidate the local population, blaming Ukraine’s military and covering up Russia’s “nuclear crimes.” Ukraine claims the attacks are false flag operations carried out by Russia to damage the image of the Ukrainian military. But Russia says the attacks are being carried out from Ukraine. Russia’s defense ministry reported more Ukrainian shelling of the power station over the weekend. Nine shells fired by Ukrainian artillery landed on its territory, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “Currently, full-time technical staff are monitoring the technical condition of the nuclear power plant and ensuring its operation. The radiation situation in the area of the nuclear power plant remains normal,” he said in a statement. It was impossible to verify either version of events. The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, said Russia was bombing territory controlled by Ukraine and then provoking a “retaliation”. The Ukrainian-controlled city of Nikopoli and its neighboring settlements, across the river from the power station, were also hit on Sunday night, killing one woman and injuring two, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Mykola Lukasuk. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia had failed to present evidence that the shelling was caused by Ukraine, despite controlling the region. The IAEA mission is made up of countries considered neutral by Russia and does not include representatives from Britain or the US, according to a New York Times report. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a briefing on Monday that Ukraine expects the IAEA delegation to “state the facts” about the violation of all nuclear safety protocols. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The world was in an uproar last week as fighting around the power station destroyed the last remaining power line to it, causing it to be disconnected from the main grid for the first time. Regional authorities in Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia distributed iodine tablets and taught people how to use them in the event of a radioactive leak. As of Sunday, however, Grossi said there had been no increase in radiation levels. A satellite image shows the Zaporizhzhia power station seized by Russian forces on Sunday. Photo: Planet Labs PBC/AP The power station requires electricity to power the cooling rods and safety systems, without which engineers have 90 minutes to prevent dangerous overheating. During last week’s incident a backup line was brought in at a local power station. Factory workers later reconnected it to the grid. Ukraine’s state nuclear agency has hailed the plant’s workers as “real heroes” for their efforts, saying Europe’s safety rests on their shoulders. On Sunday, the US accused Russia of not wanting to acknowledge its role in the serious radiological hazard at the power plant. “The Russian Federation alone decided to block consensus on a final document at the conclusion of the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Russia did so to block language that simply recognized the serious radiological risk at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine,” the US State Department said in a statement. On Friday, Russia blocked an agreement on the final draft of the UN nuclear disarmament treaty amid criticism of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
