Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was satisfied with the arrival of the IAEA delegation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. He also said that he had already thought of ways to make the delegation’s visit possible.
Zelensky also said that, unfortunately, Russia tried to sabotage the mission at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. In addition, he said he regretted that the International Atomic Energy Agency had not issued a call for a demilitarized zone.
On the other hand, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the IAEA’s unrestricted mandate to inspect nuclear power plants is very important.
The U.S. official also said the U.N. delegation should be allowed to spend more time at the plant if needed.
On Thursday, September 1, Rafael Grossi, Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and his delegation concluded their visit to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. However, their mission is not over yet.
Preliminary assessment
Grossi confirmed that some experts from the mission will remain at the plant until the situation stabilizes. He also explained that the safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has been violated many times. And his visit is a preliminary assessment of the nuclear power plant’s situation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Russia expects the IAEA delegation to objectively assess the situation at the nuclear power plant. He also pointed out that some people wanted to obstruct the mission from accomplishing its mission.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says Russia has been carrying out nuclear provocations while it threatens the world at the cost of global catastrophe Device issues are discussed.
Andrei Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, also accused Russia of disrupting the international delegation’s visit by bombing the area around the nuclear power plant. He also said that Russia’s bombing of its surrounding area is an “act of a terrorist state” that fears the world will know the truth. He also called on the world to stop what he called Russia’s “criminal practices.”
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense spoke of Ukrainian troops trying to land in the Anier Godar region. Russian forces have captured three Ukrainian soldiers involved in the operation. He also noted that Russian aircraft had intervened in the operation to stop the Ukrainian landing attempt.
The Defense Ministry said it had thwarted Ukraine’s attempt to take control of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. It also pointed out that the situation in the area around the nuclear power plant is very complicated. However, the nuclear power plant is still under the complete control of the Russian military.
Amid the mutual accusations between Russia and Ukraine, RIA Novosti quoted a UN Security Council source as saying that Russia has requested a Security Council meeting on Tuesday, September 6, to discuss the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Over the past few weeks, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of bombing the plant. At the same time, frequent military operations near nuclear power plants have raised fears of a nuclear disaster.
Live developments
Russia’s war on Ukraine has been ongoing since February 24. Among other live developments in the war, on Thursday, September 1, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that more than 350 Ukrainian troops had been killed in a single day. These soldiers have been trying to launch attacks on the axis of the Nikolaev Oblast (south).
On the other hand, the Ukrainian army is trying to retake Kherson (in southern Ukraine) from Russia.
The Ukrainian army announced that it had breached the first line of defense of the Russian army that controls the Kherson region. It also stressed that its troops had destroyed Russian ammunition depots and bombed the army’s headquarters in Kherson.
It is worth mentioning that, in the early days of the war, the Russian army took control of the city of Kherson and parts of the provinces of Nikolayev, Zaporozhye (south) and Kharkov (north-east). After that, the Russian army expanded its control in the Donbas region (east).