KYIV
Energoatom, the Ukrainian government’s nuclear company, said on Friday that Russian interference would make it “difficult” for the UN nuclear watchdog to give a fair assessment of the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Energoatom also said that a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which arrived at the power station on Thursday, was not allowed to go into the crisis centre, where Ukraine says Russian troops are stationed.
Energoatom wrote on Telegram, “The Russians did not let the mission into the crisis centre of the plant, where Russian military personnel are stationed and whom the IAEA representatives were not supposed to see.”
The largest plant in Europe, in Zaporizhzhia, was taken by Moscow in the first weeks of its invasion of Ukraine. However, Energoatom’s workers still run the plant under the watch of Russian troops.
Related: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has begun a mission to investigate the Fukushima water spill.
Over the past month, shells have been fired at the plant, which is 10 km (6 miles) from Ukrainian positions on the other side of the Dnipro River. Kiev and Moscow have been trading blame.
Energoatom’s statement said, “The (Russian) occupiers lie and change the facts and evidence that show they shelled the power plant and caused damage to its infrastructure.”
“It is clear that it will be hard for the IAEA to make a fair assessment of the situation at (the plant) under these circumstances.”
