As inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gear up to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which Russian forces have occupied for months, holding Ukrainian operators at gunpoint to keep the plant up and running, hopes are mounting that the inspection can go off without a hitch.
But already, the inspection group, which arrived this week and which includes the IAEA’s director general, Rafael Grossi, is hitting snags. Russians have so far refused to grant the mission special passes for entry, and are forcing the mission to wait in the general line to enter the territory, in part because the IAEA inspectors chose to travel to the territory by way of Kyiv, not through territory that Russia has seized from Ukraine during the war.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian administrator appointed as the head of the region, said they could have opted to travel to Zaporizhzhia by way of seized territory to avoid going through so much trouble.
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“They could safely, quickly, and without obstacles get from Russia through the liberated territory,” Rogov said, according to a Telegram post.
The IAEA visit to ensure the plant’s safety, which is expected to take place Thursday, comes after Russians took over the power plant in March, forcing Ukrainian workers to operate it under great pressure and under threat of violence, raising concerns about the sanctity of the nuclear power station’s operations. As the plant has come under fire in recent weeks, fears have mounted that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war might bring Ukraine—or Europe—to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.
And now the inspectors, who are working to ensure the safety of the plant, are traveling through an active war zone to reach the occupied power plant—the largest in Europe.
Both Russians and Ukrainians have been blaming each country’s forces for shelling near the power plant. But critics warn that Russia is just using the plant as a shield for its offensive operations.
The White House called this week for Russia to create a demilitarized zone around the plant to tone down the tensions, a proposal Russia has deemed “unacceptable.”
Russia’s takeover of the nuclear power plant and refusal to agree to a demilitarized zone is “the height of irresponsibility,” Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told The Daily Beast.
“It's just appalling what's happening,” Carpenter said. “The fact that the Russians invaded and occupied this plant in the first place, that's the central issue. It's just so irresponsible. It is such an egregious breach of the principle of nuclear safety.”
“You didn't need any more facts to prove that Russia is an irresponsible party that's violating international norms. But if you did need one, well, here's another example,” Carpenter added.
Russians are introducing other roadblocks for the IAEA inspectors, too. The Russians will only allow the IAEA investigators to visit for one day, according to Yevhen Balytskyi, the purported head of the occupied administration, raising questions about the IAEA’s ability to properly assess whether the power station’s operations are intact and safe.
Grossi has said he wanted the IAEA to visit for several days, not one.
In a potential preview of what’s to come, as the visit kicks off Thursday, Balytskyi threw cold water on the idea that substantial change would come from the visit. He said he doesn’t expect much to come from the inspection and has accused the visit of being just a political move.
“More, I think, it will be political engagement,” he said. “We will do what we can, and then—come what may.”
