UN experts find no mines at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

VIENNA, 1 Jul. (DPA/EP) -

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts at Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant have seen no sign that the Russian occupiers have recently laid mines.

However, the team of experts, which is permanently stationed at the nuclear power plant, has not yet gained access to some areas of the facility, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement issued by the IAEA on Friday. evening. Part of the turbine rooms and the cooling system still had to be inspected.

Last week, the Ukrainian military intelligence service SBU stated that Russia had mined the plant and was planning a terror attack there, accusations that Moscow denied.

"We take all these reports very seriously and I have instructed our experts on the site to analyze this matter and request the access they need to do their job," Grossi explained in a statement, adding that "until now they have not observed any mines or other explosives. More access will still be needed."

While the IAEA has seen no visible indication of mines in its latest inspections in June, the agency has acknowledged that mines have been placed "outside the perimeter of the plant" and "in particular locations inside" in the past.

The six-reactor plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022 and last summer, regular shelling of the plant led to problems with the external power supply. For safety reasons, the plant was put into a cold shutdown.

However, this does not eliminate the danger of an accident as external electricity is needed to keep the reactors cool and other essential safety operations running.

Grossi has made three visits to the site in the last 10 months, the last on June 15.