A team of officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, where they will conduct an inspection of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
According to Interfax, a convoy of nine vehicles entered the station’s territory at about 2:15 pm local time on Thursday.
Both Ukrainian and Russian sources reported shelling on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia plant earlier on Thursday. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who is leading the mission, acknowledged the risk, saying, “There has been increased military activity including this morning [...] but weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not stopping.”
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was captured by Russian troops in March. The Russian Defense Ministry regularly accuses Ukrainian forces of shelling the facility, while Ukrainian officials have called the attacks “provocations.”
The IAEA reported in early August that “every principle of nuclear safety has been violated” at the Zaporizhzhia plant.