Ukraine’s anger with the UN’s nuclear watchdog

Ukraine’s state nuclear company has accused the head of the UN of lying about a planned visit to a Russian-controlled power plant.

Rafael Grossi said Monday that Ukraine had invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. However, Energoatom said there were no invitations and that any visit would justify Russia’s presence.

Grossi called the allegations “outrageous.”

“There is war and excitement, and people are in a very strong position,” he told a news channel.

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But he said his organization has a contractual obligation to conduct security checks, not “a respectful invitation that may or may not be renewed.”

“Ukraine has asked us and we will go there,” he wrote on Monday on Twitter.

The IAEA is a United Nations-based organization working with countries to promote the safe use of nuclear technology. Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power company Energoatom issued a furious statement on Tuesday accusing Prime Minister Grosi of lying to him when he requested a visit to Ukraine. All visits will be “a means of legalizing the occupant’s residence,” he said. According to the Russian press, the IAEA is contacting the Russian authorities regarding the possibility of a visit.

In early March, just days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporozy. International protests erupted after Russian troops stormed a building near the power plant.

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The critical infrastructure was intact, and radiation levels remained normal. The factory continues to operate, and Ukrainian workers work under Russian command.

For several months, Grossi said the situation in Zaporozhye was a security threat and that he wanted to lead a mission there. The IAEA Secretary-General said in a statement on Monday that Zaporozhye’s security data would no longer be transmitted to the IAEA and that Ukrainian personnel would “work in extremely stressful and difficult conditions”.

Energoatom said in a statement that the transmission of plant safety data had ceased with IAEA approval. Grossi dismissed the statement as “a negligent statement” made out of “great emotion.”

The IAEA said on Tuesday that radiation detectors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control for several weeks, had been connected to the network for the first time since Ukraine took control of the plant. The radiation level was in line with the level measured before the impact.