OUR Russia declares that it will do “everything necessary” to ensure that experts from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to be able to visit the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine amid fears for the safety of the plant due to bombing.

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, was seized by Russia in March, days after its invasion of Ukraine. The station has come under fire in recent days, and Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for the bombing, and both acknowledge the risk of a nuclear accident.

“In close cooperation with the agency and its leadership, we will do everything necessary for the IAEA experts to be at the station and give a truthful assessment of the destructive actions of the Ukrainian side,” a ministry spokesman said in a statement released today. Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova.

While Russia claims that Ukraine recklessly shelled the station, Kyiv claims that Russian troops stabbed themselves to blame Ukraine for any power outages that followed.

Ukrainian officials also note that Russian forces use the station to provide cover when shelling nearby – Ukrainian-controlled – cities.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called last week for an end to all fighting near the station.

Russia’s permanent representative to the IAEA is reported to have said that an agency visit to the station would be considered in the near future, but obstacles remain.

“The most important thing for us is to fully ensure the security of the international mission,” Mikhail Ulyanov was quoted by the Russian news agency RIA as saying.

Source: APE/MEB