United Nations experts who crossed into Russian-held territory in Ukraine to assess the safety of Europe's biggest nuclear energy plant are seeking on Friday to assess physical damage to the facility, where both sides warn of possible disaster, APA reports citing Reuters.
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection team braved intense shelling to reach the Zaporizhzhia power plant on Thursday. Russia and Ukraine say they fear a Chernobyl-like catastrophe due to shelling they blame on each other.
Russia seized the plant early in the now more than six-month-old war, and areas to the south are now the focus of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive. Kyiv accuses Moscow of using the facility to shield its forces, a charge Moscow denies while rejecting calls to withdraw troops.
After touring the plant on Thursday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said his inspectors were "not going anywhere". Grossi and other members of the team left for Ukrainian-held territory but five IAEA inspectors remain at the plant, Ukraine's state nuclear company says.
The inspectors will assess physical damage to the plant, ensure its safety and security systems are functional and evaluate the condition of staff, the IAEA says. Grossi said they would produce a report on their findings.
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