Russia has once again disrupted the rotation of the IAEA personnel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Russia has once again blocked the rotation of IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, resorting to familiar tactics of blackmail, threats, and provocations.

This was reported by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Georgiy Tikhiy.

According to Tikhiy, this time the Russian occupiers used armed stormtroopers with white flags positioned in the crossing zone between Ukrainian-controlled territories and the temporarily occupied area to disrupt the rotation. It was in this location that the IAEA representatives were supposed to transition.

The spokesperson explained that the scenario for disrupting rotations is always similar. First, the Russian side takes a long time to agree on the point and time of the rotation, then gives uncertain signals about supposedly being ready to guarantee safe passage, but an hour before the rotation begins, they open fire or initiate hostilities in that area. After this, Russian stormtroopers appear with white flags and IAEA flags, while Moscow claims that “everything is ready” for the mission. Such actions are not new, but the security risks continue to escalate.

As emphasized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by orchestrating such provocations, Russia attempts to force the IAEA to violate Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to direct international experts to the ZNPP through temporarily occupied territories. At the same time, Moscow blackmails the agency with a complete blockade of the mission's operations.

“Russian pressure on the IAEA is unacceptable, and we demand that the international community defend the agency from Russian blackmail,” Tikhiy stated.

He added that over the past three years of occupation, Russia has led the ZNPP to degradation, transforming the largest nuclear power plant in Europe into a military base. According to Tikhiy, this is part of a broader strategy of nuclear threats from Russia and its use of energy as a weapon.

The presence of the IAEA hinders Russia from executing this plan, so it systematically pressures the agency, attempts to undermine its authority, and creates conditions under which independent oversight becomes impossible, the spokesperson emphasized.

“Attempts by the Kremlin to force the IAEA to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine will not succeed. Ukraine will not allow Russia to use the agency to legitimize the occupation and will not let it undermine the independence of the IAEA. We call on the international community to firmly support the IAEA so that Russia ultimately realizes that its tactics of blackmail and threats will not work,” Tikhiy stated.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the IAEA postponed the rotation of its mission at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant due to a lack of security guarantees from Russia.