In the context of the visit of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi to Russia, propagandists claim that the IAEA directors allegedly “convinced the safety” of the plant, as a result of which Grossi allegedly “remained satisfied with the technical condition of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the qualifications of the personnel”. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the StopFake project drew attention to it. They found out that in February-March 2024, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made three working trips dedicated to the safety issues of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. During this period, Grossi visited Kyiv, where he discussed with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi the current security situation at the seized Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the risks posed by its occupation by Russian troops. Grossi then noted that “there is no basis for self-relaxation or belief that everything has stabilized there - this is far from the case”.

After the meeting with Zelenskyi, Grossi visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He warned Russians about the restart of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, noting that basic safety principles were not observed at the station. Grossi noted that the station is located on the front line and is subject to shelling, the nuclear power plant is used by the invaders as a heavy weapon, and after the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the nuclear power plant was left without a stable source of water supply. In addition, Grossi emphasized that the main problem of Zaporizhzhia NPP is the lack of qualified personnel at the station, since Russia does not allow employees of the national operator Energoatom to work there. In addition, Russia categorically refuses to allow IAEA experts into most of the turbine rooms and equipment of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

Grossi’s meeting with Putin on March 6, 2024 did not change the situation and did not reduce significant risks to nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the IAEA noted in a statement following the meeting. It is emphasized that in the first days of March 2024 alone, IAEA experts who were at the site witnessed three shelling attacks carried out from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. According to the IAEA, the explosions “indicate the use of heavy weapons from the area near the plant”.

So, all statements by Russian propaganda that the IAEA is “satisfied with Russia’s actions” are outright fakes. On the contrary, both the head of the Agency and his experts report catastrophic violations of nuclear safety rules by the Russian army at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Detector Media has previously written about how Russia conducts its disinformation in international organizations, in particular in the OSCE.