IAEA’s report highlights Russia’s military presence at Zaporizhzhia NPP

This is stated in the report on the two-year presence of the IAEA mission of experts at the Russian-occupied ZNPP, posted on the IAEA website.

"IAEA staff continue to report the presence of armed troops and military equipment at the site," the report says.

This is a violation of one of the five safety Pillars for the Zaporizhzhia NPP proposed in May 2023 by the Director General of the IAEA, namely that the ZNPP should not be used as a depot or base for storing heavy weapons or deploying military personnel that could be used for an attack from territory of the plant.

Also, a violation of one of the pillars, which provides for refraining from attacks on or from the site, occurred in April 2024, when the ZNPP was attacked by drones.

The report also notes that experts from the IAEA mission present at the ZNPP face access restrictions.

" IAEA staff conducts walkdowns of the facility and hold technical discussions with the ZNPP with a focus on nuclear safety and security, including plant safety systems, maintenance and testing, configuration management, staffing, physical protection, radiation protection and emergency preparedness and response. These activities occur on weekdays, weekends, holidays and evenings, as necessary. Although these activities have been beneficial for assessing the nuclear safety and security situation at the plant, the IAEA has faced restrictions in obtaining access to some areas. It continues to request timely and appropriate access to all areas of the ZNPP of significance or with potential implications for nuclear safety and security," the document says.

It also states that, based on measurements taken during regular walkdowns by IAEA experts, radiation levels at the ZNPP "remain within the expected range." Overall, the situation of nuclear safety at the nuclear power plant occupied by the Russians remains "very precarious".

"The continued presence of IAEA staff has been instrumental in helping to decrease the risk of a nuclear accident at the ZNPP. However, the overall situation with respect to nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP continues to be very precarious. In the two years of continued presence, all Seven Pillars have been fully or partially compromised. The assessments conducted by the IAEA to date demonstrate that the risk at the ZNPP remains high," the report says.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, from September 1, 2022, a mission of IAEA experts will be at the Zaporizhzhia NPP with the aim of stabilizing the situation around the NPP seized by Russia. During each rotation, up to five IAEA staffers with relevant technical experience deploy at the ZNPP where they monitor nuclear safety, security, and safeguards issues for about five weeks.