IAEA reports presence of Russian armed troops, military equipment at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Armed troops and military equipment are present at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, along with anti-personnel mines placed between the facility's internal and external fences.

That is according to a report by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi "Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine" for the IAEA General Conference that is taking place in Vienna from September 16 to 20, Ukrinform reports.

"ISAMZ [IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia] continued to report the presence of armed troops (which the Russian Federation claims are members of the Russian National Guard and some chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) specialists) and military equipment such as armored personnel carriers, military logistics-type vehicles, and weapon-mounted armored vehicles. ISAMZ reported that armed troops prevented its access to the western parts of the turbine halls," the report said.

ISAMZ continued to be prevented from visiting the western part of the turbine halls throughout the reporting period, and ISAMZ therefore "continued to be unable to independently confirm whether there were any issues or materials present in these parts of the turbine halls that could potentially affect the nuclear safety or security of the plant."

According to the report, ISAMZ continued "to face limitations in the provision of timely and appropriate access to all areas and information related to nuclear safety and security that might have implications for the Agency's assessment of the overall situation."

"For the duration of the reporting period [May 25 through August 30] ISAMZ was prevented from accessing all areas relevant for nuclear safety and security, such as the western side of the turbine halls, the ZNPP cooling pond isolation gate and the ZTPP 330 kV open switchyard," the report said.

It also added that ISAMZ "continued to observe the presence of anti-personnel mines in the buffer zone between the facility's internal and external fences in a restricted area inaccessible to operating plant personnel." The Russian occupation administration at ZNPP told IAEA experts that "these mines are part of the physical protection system." However, the Agency "remains unaware of any assessment performed by the ZNPP consistent with the Agency's safety standards and nuclear security guidance to assess the potential implications of the presence of these mines for nuclear safety and security systems and equipment at the site."

The report also states that on some occasions, ISAMZ was able to converse with main control room (MCR) operators regarding their authorizations and experience, but on most occasions ISAMZ faced restrictions imposed by the Russian occupation administration at ZNPP and was unable to openly interact and exchange information with the operators.