Russian forces are reportedly delaying international nuclear safety officials from entering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The nuclear power plant—Europe's largest—has been held under Russian control after it was captured just days after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.
The plant has been a matter of international concern ever since, due to it being damaged by shelling, giving rise to fears of a nuclear accident.
Shelling on multiple days last week had hit an area of the plant located just 100 meters or so from the reactor buildings.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has repeatedly called for an IAEA mission to the plant so that experts can assess the damage and evaluate the working conditions of the Ukrainian staff who are continuing to keep the facility operational.
Earlier on Wednesday, an IAEA team set off from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv towards the plant, with Reuters reporting that the team were travelling in a convoy of vehicles according to a witness.
Grossi is understood to be leading the mission.
However, Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed regional official for Zaporizhzhia, wrote on Telegram that same day that the IAEA team "will stand in line" in order to enter the area and "will not be given special passes" because the team are attempting to enter the plant from Ukrainian rather than Russian territory.
"And they could safely, quickly and without obstacles get from Russia through the liberated territory," he added. His comments were translated from Russian.
Meanwhile, Yevhen Balitsky, described by Russia's TASS news agency as head of the "military-civilian administration" of Zaporizhzhia, told the state-owned Russia-24 TV news channel: "We were asked to speed it up. I said no, let them stand in line like everyone else … let them talk to people in queues."
It is unclear how long the queues will take to clear or for how long the IAEA team will be waiting. Newsweek has contacted the IAEA for comment.
Grossi will likely be anxious to enter the plant as soon as possible due in part to the reported damage sustained by recent shelling but also due to power cuts that occurred on August 25. Power was eventually restored, but Grossi said it highlighted the potential vulnerability of the major nuclear power plant.
Power plants rely on a constant flow of electricity in order to power their safety systems that would be needed during an emergency.
Another concern is the wellbeing of the Ukrainian staff who are still working to keep the plant running safely.
"We are informed that Ukrainian staff are operating the facility under extremely stressful conditions while the site is under the control of Russian armed forces," Grossi said in June. "The recent reports are very troubling and further deepen my concern about the well-being of personnel there."
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