IAEA says ZNPP is booby-trapped by Russians

On the territory of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant there are mines that were previously planted by the invaders. This was stated in a statement by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

During the rounds, the team did not notice heavy weapons, but confirmed that the mines previously reported remained in place," the statement said.

It is reported that IAEA experts managed to visit the main control panels of power units 2, 5 and 6. During this, they recorded that power units No. 2 and 5 remain in a state of "cold" shutdown, and power unit No. 6 - in a state of "hot" shutdown. Also, the team of international experts visited the emergency diesel generators of power units No. 4 and No. 5 and conducted a perimeter walk around ZNPP.

The staffing of the plant is of concern, as since the beginning of the armed conflict ZNPP has left a significant number of personnel, including licensed operators from the main unit control panels," the IAEA said.

Earlier it was reported that IAEA experts found anti-personnel mines of directional action on the periphery of the site of Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. The IAEA believes that the presence of explosives does not meet safety standards and nuclear safety guidelines, as well as creates additional psychological pressure on the personnel.

We would like to point out that on 8 September 2023, the IAEA said that military activity around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant had intensified.