Russia addresses IAEA concerns about mines placed around ZNPP
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Moscow's ambassador to international organizations in Geneva replies to IAEA concenrs about the placement of mines between the internal and external fences of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
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The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine, on March 29, 2023 (AP)
Yesterday, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, addressed the concerns of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about mines being placed along the perimeter of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Although mines had been removed from the buffer zone between the facility's internal and external fences in November, they were discovered to have been reinstated earlier this month. The UN agency confirmed that the area remains inaccessible to operational plant personnel.
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"There is nothing exceptional about the presence of mines. It is a normal way of protecting the plant from attacks and sabotage," declared Ulyanov on social media, emphasizing the necessity of these measures.
The IAEA issued a statement on Friday asserting that the presence of mines in the buffer zone did not meet its safety standards.
Ulyanov countered by emphasizing that the restricted zone is off-limits to plant personnel and insisted that the mines posed a threat only to "rats, crows, and potential saboteurs."
ZNPP secure only with the withdrawal of Kiev's heavy weapons
Back in December, Ulyanov considered that "there are chances of reaching an agreement" about a protection zone around the ZNPP, but it would be too early to say that the deal is close at hand.
According to Ulyanov, "a meeting between the IAEA director-general and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal was held in Paris on Monday. As far as we know, this topic was discussed in detail during these talks. Therefore, the process continues and there are chances of reaching an agreement."
In the same week, a senior official in the Zaporozhye regional government, Vladimir Rogov, said that the main requirement for establishing a security zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) should be the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops to a distance from which they will be unable to deliver strikes at the station.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly stated that a safety zone around the ZNPP is required.
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