Russia limiting access to occupied Ukrainian nuclear plant, inspectors warn

International inspectors have accused Russian troops of restricting their access to the occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power station in southeastern Ukraine, and said missiles and drones used in recent heavy air strikes on the country flew close to other nuclear facilities.

The Zaporizhzhia power station is the biggest such plant in Europe and was seized by Russian soldiers soon after their full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian technicians still operate the facility, which has been cut off repeatedly from the national grid due to shelling that each side blames on the other.

Kyiv says Russia is storing weapons at the site, while Moscow insists its troops are protecting the facility. Five of its six reactors are in “cold shutdown” mode, while reactor four is in “hot shutdown” and makes steam and heat for the plant and nearby town of Enerhodar.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that for a fortnight its teams “have not been allowed to access the reactor halls of units 1, 2 and 6. This is the first time that IAEA experts have not been granted access to a reactor hall of a unit that was in cold shutdown. This is where the reactor core and spent fuel are located.

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“In addition, access to some parts of the [plant’s] turbine halls continues to be restricted,” the agency added, noting that the reactor rooftops were also off-limits “due to stated security concerns”.

Petro Kotin, president of Ukrainian nuclear energy operator Energoatom, said the site would be secure only after “complete demilitarisation and de-occupation of the [plant] and adjacent territories. This is a key prerequisite for restoring not only nuclear safety, but also respect for international law”.

Ukraine says Russia attacked it with more than 500 missiles and drones in recent days, killing at least 37 civilians, injuring hundreds and damaging power and other infrastructure.

The IAEA said its teams at the Kyiv-held Rivne, Khmelnitsky and South Ukraine atomic plants and at Chernobyl – site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 – reported that “safety and security is being maintained, despite wide-ranging missile attacks … which forced the IAEA experts at the Khmelnitsky [plant] to take shelter three times”.

“IAEA experts at the Rivne [facility] were informed that a cruise missile flew close to the plant on December 29th, and their colleagues at the South Ukraine [plant] were informed that missiles and drones crossed the region where the plant is located,” the agency added.

The 1,000km front line in eastern Ukraine has been largely static for more than six months, but Kyiv’s forces have stepped up sabotage attacks and assassinations in occupied territory and Russia itself.

Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency told local media that its operatives destroyed a Russian Su-34 warplane at an airbase in the Urals on Thursday, and released footage that appeared to show someone setting fire to the aircraft.

On Wednesday night, 230 Ukrainians and 248 Russians were freed in the first large-scale prisoner swap between the warring neighbours since last August.