TROUBLED IAEA MISSION TO THE ZAPOROZHIE NPP

On the eve of the visit of the IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to launch a counteroffensive in the Kharkov region. On September 1, units of the Ukrainian 14th Mechanized Brigade were defeated in the area of Russian Tishki, losing up to 50 servicemen. Another attempt to counter attack was reported near Russian Lozovaya, where Ukrainian forces also suffered losses and retreated. The Armed Forces of Ukraine suspended attempts to break through the Russian defenses almost along the entire front line in the south of the country. The pause is likely due to large losses which are disproportionate to modest achievements on the battlefields. Currently, the Ukrainian command is pulling together additional forces to carry out another offensive attempt to expand the control zone, primarily near the villages of Kostromka and Vysokopolye. On the morning of September 1, a few hours before the visit of the IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye NPP, Kiev attempted to seize the station. Two sabotage groups with a total number of up to 60 servicemen landed on the coast, three kilometers north-east of the NPP. The saboteurs were blocked by units of the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Russia. An hour later, the second attempt of the landing by two self-propelled barges heading from Nikopol was prevented. As a result of the fire damage, both Ukrainian watercraft were sunk. Before the arrival of the international mission, the city of Energodar and the station itself were subjected to another artillery shelling. As a result, one of the two operating power units of the station was stopped. Kiev’s efforts did not disrupt the short visit of the IAEA. The UN positively assessed Russia’s actions to protect the group of international inspectors. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, has not yet given precise comments on the results of the mission, saying that he saw ‘the key issues’. Some of the mission staff remained at the station. The head of the international organization was handed a letter signed by more than 20 thousand residents of the Zaporozhie region. They appealed to the world community demanding to stop the shelling of the NPP by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Rafael Grossi promised that their appeal would be heard.