A lot of time has passed since the beginning of the mediation of the IAEA and Rafael Grossi at the Zaporozhye NPP. On September 9, 2022, their report was announced at the UN Security Council, which focused on creating a security zone around the ZNPP.

Half a year has passed, but these diplomatic efforts of Grossi end in nothing. Olga Kosharna, an independent expert on nuclear energy and security, told Channel 24 about this.

Requirements that cannot be met

She noted that Grossi constantly travels to Moscow and talks with Rosatom.

The last month was simply egregious, because the occupiers actually held the IAEA mission hostage for three weeks. She entered the territory in early January, and she was supposed to be replaced in February, but the Russians did not give permission for the mission to leave, the expert emphasized.

According to her, the IAEA employees are given demands that cannot be met, in particular, they put forward the condition to enter the ZNPP only through the occupied territory.

Important Steps

Kosharna noted that Grossi is trying to do a lot.

Recently, a conference organized by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the participation of Grossi was held, a Ukrainian delegation attended it, she said.

The interlocutor stressed that at the meeting of the IAEA Board of Directors, 51 countries, as well as Euroatom, issued a statement containing important decisions:

• to exclude Russia from all scientific and technical projects of the IAEA;
• not invite Russian officials to conferences funded by the IAEA;
• to boycott the IAEA events that were planned to be held on the territory of Russia.

What is happening at the Zaporozhye NPP: watch the video

Russia is an unreliable partner

“US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Grenholm spoke on the pages of an influential Western publication, where she sent a signal to all countries: Russia is an unreliable partner. Therefore, it needs to be prevented from exporting reactor technologies. After all, Russia has a portfolio of $ 140 billion for the construction of nuclear power plants in different countries,” – the expert stressed.

She noted that the head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, who was under Western sanctions, reacted to this. He stated that “the company will not tolerate the use of political leverage to reduce Rosatom's competitiveness in the markets.”

At the same time, according to Olga Kosharnaya, the European Union still cannot impose sanctions against Russia in this area, because there is no consensus in Europe because of the position of Hungary, Bulgaria and even France.

The situation at ZNPP: what is known

• Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko noted that diplomatic steps to return the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to Ukraine did not bring any success. Moreover, the occupiers create a dangerous situation at the station. According to him, it is impossible to agree with the Russians.
• Askad Ashurbekov, a deputy of the Zaporozhye Regional Council, said that the Russians were brazenly stealing the ZNPP training center. The occupiers are taking out the equipment, which was used to improve the skills of workers. At the same time, the IAEA “raises the tension without naming the guilty” in this and other situations.
• American analysts believe that the Kremlin plans to use the staff of the IAEA mission as hostages. In addition, the occupiers can arrange provocations, creating threats around the occupied ZNPP in order to deter the upcoming counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Analysts believe that the so-called occupation authorities are trying to further limit the presence of IAEA experts at the Zaporozhye NPP.