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Ukraine accused Russia on Friday of “manipulating” the visit of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine and currently under the control of Russian troops.
For kyiv, the specialists of the IAEA, a body that integrates the UN system, will have many difficulties in preparing an impartial report on the situation in the plant that is “under constant” attacks.
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The Russian army lies, manipulate and alter reality at the nuclear power plant by disseminating – only – information to the IAEA that is beneficial to it”, denounced the state-owned nuclear energy company of Ukraine (Energoatom) in a message posted on the Telegram social network.
According to Energoatom, the presence of Russian military vehicles in the turbine hall (where the reactors are located) “was explained to IAEA experts as equipment for the “chemical defense forces”.
The Russians did not allow the mission to enter the crisis center of the plant, where Russian military personnel are present and that the IAEA must not see (…) hiding the presence of armed Russian invaders”, adds the same text.
The Ukrainian state entity alleged that the Russians who have occupied the nuclear plant since March 4, a few days after the start of the military offensive against Ukraine (on February 24), “blocked cell phone and internet communications” in Energodar , the location where the infrastructure is located, to avoid sending “photos and videos” of the facilities and the “sleeping city”.
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The Ukrainian company also claimed that the The Russian military limited the presence of “plant operating personnel” during the experts’ visit of the IAEA.
The entity also said that the “most of the journalists” present at the entrance of the nuclear plant were “Russian propagandists” and that the military prevented the entry of Ukrainian and foreign reporters who were not allowed to pass the checkpoints.
Energoatom considers that the mission turned out to be a “planned show” because residents of Energodar, a Russian-occupied town, were present, who “complained about the bombing by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The occupants lie, alter the facts and evidence about the bombing of the plant, as well as the consequences and damage to the infrastructure of the facilities. Unsurprisingly, they blame the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Energoatom charged.
“In these conditions, it is clear that it will be difficult for the IAEA to make an impartial assessment of the situation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant”, he said.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Thursday after the site visit that “it is obvious that the central and physical integrity of the facility has been violated on several occasions, either casually or deliberately.”
We do not have the elements to make this assessment, but it is a reality that we have to recognize. It is something that cannot continue to happen”, which is why the IAEA, said the representative, is “trying to activate certain mechanisms and establish a permanent presence” of some experts from the United Nations agency at the plant.
The “physical integrity of the occupied Zaporizhia plant” has been violated
The head of the mission, who visited “three or four key areas that he wanted to personally inspect” – such as nuclear power plants, diesel generators and control rooms – and who said he had spoken with Energodar workers and neighbors, reiterated that the “AIEA is at the plant and does not leave the site”.
The IAEA experts “will remain (on site) until Sunday or Monday” to deepen the inspection in order to prepare a report, according to Grossi, who will then present the document to the head of the Vienna-based UN agency. .
Without specifying an exact number, the director general of the IAEA indicated that a group of experts will remain at the center.
In the hope that they can provide me and everyone with an unbiased, neutral and technically sound assessment of what may be going on,” he said.
For its part, Energoatom said Thursday that it currently five IAEA technicians remain at the plant.
The head of the pro-Russian interim administration of Energodar, Alexandr Volga, told Russian state television Rossia-24 on Friday that “at the moment, eight people from the IAEA remain at the plant” plus “four others who accompany them.”
Source: Observadora
