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Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not found explosives during their inspections of parts of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in recent days and weeks, Director General Rafael Grossi said on July 5.
Still, the on-site experts have requested access to other parts of the nuclear plant, including the rooftops of reactor units three and four, as well as parts of the turbine halls and the cooling system, according to the press release.
Grossi stressed the importance of IAEA experts being granted access to all parts of the nuclear plant.
“With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground," Grossi said.
"Their independent and objective reporting would help clarify the current situation at the site, which is crucial at a time like this with unconfirmed allegations and counter allegations,” Grossi added.
Ukrainian officials have been warning in recent weeks that Russian forces are preparing to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces warned on July 4 that the terrorist attack could happen "in the near future."
According to the General Staff, Russian forces placed objects similar to explosive devices on the rooftops of the plant's third and fourth reactors.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told Spanish reporters on July 1 that one possibility Ukrainian officials had prepared for was that Russian troops could return the station to Ukrainian control after having mined it and then detonate it remotely.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Since then, Russian forces have been using Europe's largest nuclear power plant as a military base to launch attacks against Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
