IAEA experts leave Kiev for Zaporiyia nuclear power plant

Latest news on war between Russia and Ukraine

A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) departed Wednesday morning from Kiev to inspect the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant, which has been seized by Russian forces since early March.

“We are going to spend a few days there,” announced IAEA mission chief Rafael Grossi before leaving Kiev. Grossi has announced that he and 13 other experts will work to stabilize the situation “as far as possible,” as reported by the DPA agency.

The IAEA chief expects to hold talks with Ukrainian staff at the plant during the visit.

Grossi stressed that his team had received all the necessary security guarantees for the long trip to the war zone, some 450 kilometers from Kiev.

“We are going into occupied territory and this requires the explicit guarantees, not only from the Russian side, but also from the Republic of Ukraine,” he stressed before departing in a convoy of 10 white SUVs with UN markings.

The Zaporiyia nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe. It has a net output of 9,500 megawatts and had more than 10,000 employees before the war began. The plant was occupied by Russian troops shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began in late February.

In recent weeks, the power plant has been the target of frequent shootings and explosions, for which Kiev and Moscow blame each other, sparking international concern about a possible nuclear catastrophe.