IAEA Rotates Personnel at Zaporizhzhya NPP Through Russian-Occupied Territory – Ukraine Sends Note of Protest

As reported by Ukrinform, this statement was published on the official website of the ministry.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine by a number of IAEA employees under pressure from Russia and constant attempts to impose illegal and contradictory mechanisms on international organizations in the temporarily occupied zones,” the statement said.

The department emphasized that Russia is deliberately creating artificial barriers to the work of international organizations in Ukraine, forcing them to act in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, bilateral agreements with Ukraine, and to ignore UN General Assembly resolutions.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Russia had effectively forced IAEA staff to remain at the Zaporizhzhya NPP for 80 days, significantly exceeding the planned rotation period, subjecting them to unprecedented psychological pressure in a high-risk zone. The statement also said that Moscow had deprived international experts of freedom of movement and used them as a tool to pressure the world community.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine had repeatedly proposed a safe and legal rotation route through government-controlled territory. However, Russia had systematically refused to provide the IAEA with security guarantees under these conditions.

“The Kremlin has deliberately blocked the safe passage of specialists through Ukrainian-controlled territory, forcing the agency to accept Russia's terms. We do not view this as a rotation of IAEA personnel, but rather as a humanitarian evacuation in life-threatening circumstances,” the statement said.

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Ukraine sent an official note of protest to the IAEA leadership, condemning the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and warning against similar actions in the future. In addition, Ukraine will raise the issue of “unprecedented blackmail of Russia” at the upcoming meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors.

“Only by ending nuclear blackmail on the part of Russia and returning the Zaporizhzhya NPP to the control of its rightful owner – Ukraine – can real control by the IAEA be ensured and nuclear safety in Ere guaranteed,” the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

Read also: Russia again disrupts IAEA rotation at Zaporizhzhya NPP

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also insists that the activities of international organizations in Ukraine, especially in the context of Russia’s aggressive war, must strictly comply with Ukrainian legislation, international law and UN principles.

As Radio Free Europe journalist Rikard Jozwiak reported on the social network X, the IAEA sent its personnel to the Zaporizhzhya NPP through Russian-occupied territory without Ukraine’s approval.

Photo: Konstantin Liberov