Reuters: UN nuclear watchdog's board to meet on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant attacks
The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors will meet to discuss the recent attacks on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar, Reuters reported on April 9, citing four unnamed diplomats.
The extraordinary meeting convened by Russia will take place on April 11, according to the news agency.
The plant reportedly suffered at least three direct strikes on April 7, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
After the attacks, Russia claimed Ukrainian drones attacked the plant. Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said Ukraine was not involved.
The Board is one of the two policy-making bodies of the IAEA, which consists of 35 nations, including Russia. Each member state can convene a meeting according to the rules.
In March, the U.N. nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors passed a resolution demanding Russia to withdraw from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Ukraine's nuclear energy agency Energoatom said on April 9 that Russia "upgraded its propaganda to another level," manipulating the IAEA's perspective and accusing Ukraine of security breaches at the plant.
Energoatom said that the only way to prevent nuclear and radiation emergencies is to comply with the IAEA's resolution, withdraw Russian troops and their equipment from the plant, demining nearby territories, and return control over the plant to the agency.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. IAEA teams have been based at the facility on rotation since September 2022.
Throughout its occupation, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
Olena Goncharova
