- Title: IAEA mission leaves Zaporizhzhia for nuclear power plant
- Date: 1st September 2022
- Summary: ZAPORIZHZHIA, UKRAINE (SEPTERMBER 1, 2022) (REUTERS) INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) OFFICIAL ARRANGING FLAG ON U.N. VEHICLE, OFFICIAL KISSING FLAG OFFICIALS FIXING U.N. FLAG ON VEHICLE GROUP GATHERED NEXT TO U.N. VEHICLE OFFICIALS TALKING WHILE FIXING U.N. FLAG ON VEHICLE VARIOUS OF U.N. CONVOY DEPARTING
- Embargoed: 15th September 2022 07:54
- Keywords: ATOMIC IAEA INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENC NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UKRAINE ZAPORIZHZHIA
- Location: ZAPORIZHZHIA, UKRAINE
- City: ZAPORIZHZHIA, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001198301092022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PART AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) left the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday (September 1) ahead of an inspection of a nearby Russian-occupied nuclear power plant.
The United Nations inspectors plan to establish a permanent mission amid fears that fighting in the area could lead to a nuclear disaster.
The plant, in the southern town of Enerhodar, 120 kilometres from Zaporizhzhia, was captured by Russian forces in March but continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff.
It remains near the front lines and has come under repeated shelling in recent weeks.
Both Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the facility.
Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces tried to seize the nuclear plant and "measures had been taken" to destroy the opposing troops, including the use of military aviation.
It called the operation a "provocation" aimed at disrupting the planned visit by the IAEA inspectors to the nuclear plant.
The Ukrainian president's chief of staff accused Russia of seeking to "wreck" the inspectors’ visit, saying Russia shelled the plant again on Thursday.
"The Russians have shelled (the town of) Enerhodar and the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant," Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram, accusing Russia of acting like a "terrorist state."
The mission by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog aims to assess risks from the ongoing hostilities in the area.
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