Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency set out for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to conduct investigations in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine today.
For weeks now, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of endangering the Zaporizhzhia plant’s safety with shelling or drone strikes, risking a Chernobyl-style radiation disaster.
Kyiv says Russia has been using the plant as a shield for its forces to hit towns and cities, knowing it will be hard for Ukraine to return fire. It has also accused Russian forces of shelling the plant.
Russia has denied Ukrainian assertions of reckless behaviour, questioning why it would shell a facility where its own troops are garrisoned as what it calls a security detail.
Arriving on Wednesday afternoon in Zaporizhzhia city, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the “real work” will start on Thursday. He underscored the challenges ahead.
-AA, Al Jazeera