Russian officials expect Rafael Grossi to reach the Zaporozhye facility on Thursday
FILE PHOTO: IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. © Thomas Kronsteiner / Getty Images
A planned trip by UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi to the contested Russian Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has been delayed by at least several hours, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources. Russian officials said they now expect the visit to be on Thursday.
The international news agency said the delay was due to security concerns but that the mission was “expected to take place soon.” Evgeny Balitsky, the acting governor of the Zaporozhye Region, told Interfax that Grossi’s visit had been postponed until the following day.
Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday amid an ongoing attempt by Kiev’s forces to mount a major counteroffensive against Russia.
Some Russian officials indicated that they expected the Zaporozhye plant to be targeted.
“I have no doubt that the Ukrainian armed forces will try to stage some provocation against the Zaporozhye plant,” Vladimir Rogov, a senior regional official, told TASS. He suggested that a new Ukrainian amphibious operation may happen soon, considering the change in the terrain after the breach of the Kakhovka dam earlier this month.
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The nuclear site is located upstream from the damaged dam. The rupture resulted in the rapid draining of the Kakhovka water reservoir next to which the power plant was built and which fed its cooling pond. With its main source of water now unavailable, the plant has had to rely on backup wells. The IAEA expressed concern for the safety of the facility in the wake of the incident, which Moscow and Kiev blamed on each other.
Ukrainian forces have attempted to capture the plant and the surrounding city of Energodar from Russian troops controlling it but have been repelled. Moscow has accused Kiev of endangering the facility with artillery strikes and drone attacks, which Ukraine has denied ever launching.
Russia has also argued that the UN nuclear watchdog neglected its duty by failing to attribute those incidents to Ukraine, even as it kept inspectors on site. The IAEA said that assigning blame was not part of its mandate.
