Russia hinders IAEA mission to Zaporizhia NPP

Russia continues to use the captured Zaporizhia NPP as a military base and a tool of political blackmail, and also systematically hinders the work of IAEA mission experts, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to International Organizations in Vienna indicates.

The aggressor state has repeatedly refused to provide security guarantees for the mission's rotation through Ukrainian-controlled territory and has purposefully created threats to movement along the agreed route. An example is the Russian drone strike on a car with the IAEA logo in December 2024.

These actions by Russia openly disregard international diplomatic efforts, including initiatives by the United States of America, aimed at ending the war and ensuring global nuclear security. The policy of blackmail, terror, aggression and demonstrative disregard for international law and the UN Charter by Russia forced the IAEA to rotate through the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine for the second time. After all, for more than 80 days, IAEA experts worked under constant pressure, restrictions on freedom of movement and the presence of armed Russian units.

Ukraine emphasizes the critical importance of maintaining this position by international organizations, and also calls for increasing pressure on Russia to de-occupy and demilitarize the ZNPP.

Ukraine calls for the development of a transparent, international law-based mechanism that would allow for the rotation of IAEA personnel exclusively through the territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine, until the ZNPP is fully returned to its rightful owner, Ukraine. This is the only possible way to ensure nuclear safety and compliance with international law.