IAEA to strengthen its presence in all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants

The International Atomic Energy Agency will strengthen its presence in all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants to help protect the country's energy infrastructure, the agency's head Rafael Grossi, said on Nov. 29 after a meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Grossi added that he continued working with Ukrainian officials “towards the urgent establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.”

Kuleba also reported the meeting with IAEA Director General in Bucharest, where he “reiterated that Russia must withdraw from Zaporizhzhia plant to restore nuclear safety and security.”

Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine’s state nuclear energy operator Energoatom, said on Nov. 27 that the company saw signs Russia was preparing to leave the plant. On the following day, The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the information.

Russian troops 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.