The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi arrived in Kaliningrad to discuss the situation at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Grossi arrived in the Russian city on Tuesday, May 28, to meet with a Russian interdepartmental delegation. The Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) stated that its CEO Alexey Likhachev chaired the Russian delegation at the meeting, which began at the VIP lounge of Kaliningrad’s Khrabrovo airport.
Over the past year and a half, the head of the UN nuclear service has visited Russia several times. The meetings took place in Moscow, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, and Sochi.
In March, Grossi visited Sochi, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, the IAEA chief called for maximum military restraint around the nuclear power plant. They also discussed broader co-operation between Russia and the IAEA.
Zaporizhzhia NPP is the largest in Europe and one of the 10 largest plants in the world. It came under Russian control in March 2022, shortly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February of the same year.
Since then, fears of nuclear disaster persist as both sides of the conflict accuse each other of shelling near the plant. Russian media reported an attack by Ukrainian kamikaze drones on the plant’s transport workshop on May 22. In April, Russia accused Kyiv of attacking the reactor building.
Grossi has repeatedly spoken about the dangerous situation around the Zaporizhzhia NPP. He called the situation at the plant “very fragile” and alarming.
