Russia has denounced an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report titled “Nuclear Safety, Physical Nuclear safety and safeguards in Ukraine” as politically biased, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The statement was issued by Maria Zakharova, a representative of the ministry, on September 8.
According to Zakharova, the document fails to reflect the real situation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which she states belongs to Russia and is the largest in Europe. She noted that the report ignores this fundamental fact.
The Russian official further claimed that while the report details a serious deterioration of conditions at the facility, it avoids directly attributing responsibility for attacks on NPP infrastructure to the “Kiev regime.”
In her statement published on the Foreign Ministry’s website, Zakharova criticized IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi for persistently refusing to acknowledge the guilt of the “Kiev regime” in “reckless attacks on infrastructure facilities of the nuclear power plant,” as well as in the murders of employees and the psychological pressure exerted on their families.
She also highlighted that the report did not mention the disruption of Grossi’s scheduled visit to the Zaporizhia NPP and Energodar, which was planned for August 20-21. This trip was intended to coincide with the rotation of IAEA experts at the plant but was canceled due to what Zakharova described as “the fault of the Ukrainian side.”
Concluding her remarks, Zakharova stated: “We expect that in the future the Agency’s secretariat and management will take a more responsible approach to the preparation of such reports.”
