- IAEA inspectors to conduct “critical nuclear safety, security, and safeguards activities” in Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- Russian officials blamed Kyiv for the escalation of violence around the site.
- Despite renewed reports of fighting, the head of the mission vowed to press on.
A team of United Nations inspectors arrived at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant on Thursday, despite renewed shelling that raised fears of a radiation disaster.
Ukraine and Russia traded new accusations that the other was attempting to derail the mission by endangering the UN team as well as the plant’s nuclear reactors. Despite the fighting, the International Atomic Energy Agency experts persisted.
Early Thursday, Kyiv accused Moscow of shelling the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — and the route IAEA inspectors were taking on a perilous mission to ensure its safety.
Russian officials blamed Kyiv for the escalation of violence around the site. According to the defense ministry, Ukrainian troops attempted a daring amphibious landing in an attempt to retake control of the plant.
In a tweet, the IAEA confirmed the mission’s arrival at the plant, adding that it was there to conduct “critical nuclear safety, security, and safeguards activities.”
