Energoatom head: Russian forces may be preparing to withdraw from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
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Ukraine’s state nuclear energy operator Energoatom head Petro Kotin said the company sees the signs that the Russian troops may be preparing to leave Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
“It is too early to say that the Russian troops are leaving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but we can say that they are preparing,” Kotin said on Nov. 27. He cited the Russian media publications that the control over the plant could be given to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Russian forces brought to the site military equipment, personnel, and trucks, “probably with weapons and explosives," and mined the territory of the plant, Kotin said.
On Nov. 22, IAEA experts found that despite the frequent shelling at the Zaporizhzhia plant, essential equipment remained intact, and there were no immediate nuclear safety concerns, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
According to the IAEA, on Nov. 20, over a dozen explosions were detected close to the nuclear plant. Energoatom said Russian forces had shelled the area on the morning of Nov. 20.
Russian forces have been in control of the plant since early March and have used it as a base for attacks against Ukrainian territory, according to multiple reports by Ukrainian authorities and local officials.
