Russian Rosenergoatom says it does not rule out “provocations” from Ukraine during Grossi’s visit to Zaporizhia

March 29 () –

The company Rosenergoatom, belonging to the group of companies of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, has warned this Wednesday that it does not rule out “provocations” by Ukraine during the visit scheduled for the day to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia by part of the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi.

“I think Ukraine has given security guarantees. It is difficult for the IAEA delegation to move without these guarantees, but it is a theory. We do not rule out provocations (by Kiev) and we are prepared for them,” Renat explained. Karchaa, adviser to the CEO of Rosenergoatom, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

He also assured that the situation in the area, under the control of Russian troops, is calm and stressed that “nothing happened the night before Grossi’s visit.” “Last time Ukraine launched an artillery attack hoping to scare Grossi and the IAEA out of coming,” he said.

“For kyiv this is not so relevant, since there are IAEA inspectors at the plant,” he argued, although he reiterated that “there has been relative silence lately.” “This is no reason to relax. Ukraine does not hide its desire to take control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant by force. They talk about it openly,” Karchaa said.

In this line, he has assured that the Russian authorities have “eliminated the consequences of the Ukrainian artillery attacks” against the facilities. “We have adopted additional measures to guarantee nuclear safety and we have carried out reinforcements to guarantee the integrity of the nuclear waste storage tank,” she has settled.

Grossi himself warned from Ukraine on Tuesday that military activity around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant “is increasing.” “There is a growing number of troops and military vehicles, heavy artillery and more military action around the plant,” he said in an interview with the US television channel , before recalling that the plant has suffered “repeated” blackouts.

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, visited on Monday positions close to the combat front in the Zaporizhia region and was also able to meet with Grossi, with whom he also shared the situation of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station.

It will be the second time that the organization’s director general–accompanied by a group of experts, the seventh of its kind since the support mission began working at the plant–, will visit the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the first since the deployment of the permanent presence of the IAEA, on September 1. Grossi has said that his trip also seeks to guarantee a regular rotation of IAEA experts to and from the plant after the problems that affected the February rotation, delayed almost a month.