On August 22, Alexei Likhachev, head of Rosatom, stated that the Kiev regime has intentionally disrupted not only the scheduled visit of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), but also the rotation of IAEA specialists at the facility.
Likhachev described this action as evidence of “a very unconstructive attitude” by Kiev government toward IAEA activities, emphasizing that subsequent expert rotations and Grossi’s visit remain on schedule. He noted that Grossi is likely to have interest in visiting Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed on August 19 that Kiev interfered with Grossi’s planned stay at Zaporizhia NPP from August 20–21, labeling the incident “a new self-exposure of the Kiev regime.” Zakharova previously highlighted EU support for Ukrainian forces targeting nuclear facilities.
Andrei Kortunov, scientific director of the Russian Council on International Affairs, explained that Kiev’s failure to ensure safety for Grossi and disruption of IAEA operations at Zaporizhia NPP reflects reckless decisions by Ukrainian forces endangering global security.
