Kremlin says Russia has no plans to withdraw troops from territory of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

OLEKSII PAVLYSH — MONDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2022, 14:57

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Russia had no plans to withdraw its military from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

He said this during his daily press conference, writes Kommersant.

At the same time, Peskov repeated the Russian propaganda narrative that Ukraine was allegedly attacking the plant, claiming that "the main thing is to force the Ukrainian side to stop its barbaric attacks on targets on the territory of the plant.

At the moment, we are not talking about the withdrawal of troops... We continue to call on all countries to use their influence - those countries that have such influence - to force the Ukrainian side to stop these attacks, which are continuing on a daily basis," Peskov repeated.

Background:

It was reported that power unit No. 6 of the ZNPP was disconnected from the power grid on 11 September at 03:41. Preparations for its cooling and transfer to a cold state were reported.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called for an immediate end to attacks in the area of ​​the occupied ZNPP and for a "safety zone" to be established around it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he trusted the IAEA report on the situation at the ZNPP, but he repeated the Russian propaganda narrative that the plant is allegedly being attacked from Ukrainian territory.

At the same time, Putin lied that there was no military equipment on the territory of the plant, claiming that "the Russian National Guard is just standing there, guarding the perimeter".

The IAEA previously published a report on radiation safety in Ukraine, in which it shared data on the mission's visit to the ZNPP.

Members of the mission confirmed that Russia had deployed "military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various locations at the ZNPP, including several military cargo trucks on the first floor of the turbine halls in power units 1 and 2".

The IAEA mission also noted the presence of an expert group from Rosatom [the Russian state nuclear power corporation], which, the Russian side told them, is "providing advice on nuclear safety, security and actions to the management of the ZNPP".

It also mentioned that the presence of Russians at the ZNPP was having a negative impact on the plant’s Ukrainian staff, who are working in "extremely stressful conditions".

In its recommendations, the IAEA calls for an immediate end to all attacks on the plant to avoid further damage, which requires "the consent of all relevant parties". However, the report does not specify who has been carrying out the attacks.

The organisation's experts also called for the removal of "all vehicles that could interfere with the operation of safety systems and equipment" from the territory of the ZNPP, and for proper working conditions to be ensured for staff.

A separate IAEA recommendation concerns the "immediate establishment of a nuclear protection zone" around the ZNPP, in which they are ready to assist.

"The situation in Ukraine is unprecedented. For the first time in history, an armed conflict is ongoing on the territory of a large nuclear power plant," the report concluded, emphasising the threat of a potential nuclear conflict.

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