Russia attempted to put pressure on IAEA Director General as he prepared IAEA mission report on ZNPP – Ukraine’s Representative to UN
WEDNESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2022, 04:44
Russia attempted to put pressure on Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as he prepared the report on the IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Source: Serhii Kyslytsia, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to UN, during the UN Security Council meeting, quoted in Ukrinform
Quote from Kyslytsia: "It is curious to watch the Russian representative whine that he did not have enough time to properly study the IAEA report, as if it was not Russia itself that urgently convened this meeting [of the UN Security Council]… The only thing that can explain all this commotion Russia caused is its attempt to put pressure on the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and his team at the stage of the report’s preparation."
Details: Kyslytsia said that when Russia’s plan [to influence Grossi - ed.] failed and the report was published ahead of the Security Council meeting, "the Russian envoy desperately tried to manipulate the report, which, as he admitted, he did not have enough time to study".
Background:
- On 1 September, a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived at the ZNPP in occupied Enerhodar. On 5 September, four of the six members of the IAEA mission completed their work and left the ZNPP, with two representatives of the organisation remaining at the plant.
- The IAEA released a report on Tuesday regarding radiation safety in Ukraine, which included data on the mission's visit to the ZNPP.
- Members of the IAEA team confirmed that Russian forces deployed military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various locations throughout the ZNPP, including several heavy military trucks on the first floor of the turbine halls in power units No.1 and No.2. The IAEA also noted that a Rosatom expert group was present at the plant. [Rosatom is Russia’s state nuclear/atomic energy corporation - ed.]
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