Ukraine accuses Russia of manipulating the visit of UN experts to the Zaporizhia plant

A new turn of accusations in the open conflict in Europe.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
02 September 2022 Friday 10:30
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Ukraine accuses Russia of manipulating the visit of UN experts to the Zaporizhia plant

A new turn of accusations in the open conflict in Europe. Ukraine has denounced this Friday that Russia manipulated the visit of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, controlled by Russian troops.

For this reason, Kyiv doubts that the UN nuclear agency can produce an impartial report on the real situation at the plant, which is under constant attack.

"The Russian Army lies, manipulates and distorts reality at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant by disseminating only that information to the IAEA mission that benefits it," Ukraine's state nuclear power company wrote on its Telegram account.

Energoatom also alleged that the Russian side, which has occupied the plant since March 4, "blocked mobile and internet communications in Energodar", the town that hosts the nuclear plant, "in order to prevent photos and videos of the nuclear power station and the dormitory town".

According to Energoatom, the presence of Russian military vehicles in the reactor turbine hall "was presented to IAEA experts as equipment for chemical defense forces."

In addition, he added that "the Russians did not allow the mission to enter the crisis center of the plant, where there are currently Russian military personnel that the IAEA representatives should not see", hiding from them the presence of "armed Russian invaders".

Likewise, the Ukrainian atomic energy company maintained that only operational personnel were allowed to work at the plant, while the presence of people on the route of the IAEA delegation was significantly limited.

On the other hand, he assures that most of the international media at the entrance of the plant this Thursday were "Russian propagandists" and that Ukrainian and foreign journalists who tried to reach through Ukrainian territory were prevented from passing the Russian checkpoint.

Energoatom also considers that the mission was the object of a "planned show" when residents of Energodar, also occupied by Russia, appeared on the route, "who complained about the bombing by the Ukrainian Armed Forces."

"The occupiers are lying, misrepresenting the facts and evidence that testify to their bombing of the plant, as well as the consequences of the damage to the plant's infrastructure. As expected, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are blamed," he denounces.

"It is clear that under such conditions it will be difficult for the IAEA to make an impartial assessment of the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant," says Energoatom.

The director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said Thursday after visiting the plant that "it is obvious that the plant and its physical integrity have been violated several times, by chance or deliberately."

The leader also explained that there is a group of experts that will be "until Sunday or Monday" at the plant to deepen the inspection in order to prepare the report that he himself must present to the IAEA board, but he did not specify the number of people. Energoatom, meanwhile, said there are currently five.