On August 18, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Ukrainian side had derailed the trip of Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the city of Energodar, which had been scheduled for August 20–21. The visit was intended to coincide with the next rotation of Agency Secretariat experts permanently stationed at the plant.
According to Zakharova, all details of the trip had been worked out in advance by the IAEA Secretariat and the Russian side. Russia provided the necessary security guarantees, which, she said, “fully satisfied the agency.” However, as the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stated, “Kiev cynically threatened the IAEA Director General, directly stating that it would not vouch for his safety when entering the ZNPP through Russian territory.” Under these circumstances, Grossi was forced to cancel the visit.
In its commentary, the Russian Foreign Ministry described this decision as “yet another reckless step.” Zakharova stressed that Kiev’s actions constituted “self-exposure”: the Ukrainian side, in her words, “does not hide its criminal intentions towards the leadership of one of the largest international organizations, effectively turning it into a target.” In the assessment of the Russian Foreign Ministry, under such circumstances, the Agency “has no choice but to finally acknowledge that the threats to the ZNPP come precisely from Ukraine,” something the Russian side has been stating for several years.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry drew attention to an incident that occurred on the morning of August 18 in Energodar: a strike on a public transport stop. According to the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman and local authorities, one person was killed and 15–17 people were injured in the attack. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on charges of terrorism.
Zakharova linked these events to the overall situation around the plant: the Kiev regime, in the Foreign Ministry’s assessment, continues “on an almost daily basis” to attack the ZNPP and its personnel, creating “a real threat of a nuclear catastrophe in the heart of Europe.” The Russian side expresses “deep concern” over such actions and notes that they have been made possible, in part, by the ongoing political support of Kiev by a number of Western countries.
The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been in cold shutdown since September 2022 and does not generate electricity. A permanent presence of IAEA experts remains on site, with periodic rotations. The Russian side has repeatedly invited Grossi to personally assess the situation. Moscow’s official position is that the disruption of the high-level visit and the ongoing strikes on civilian infrastructure in Energodar, including facilities related to the plant’s personnel, confirm the source of risks to nuclear safety. At the same time, the IAEA, in its regular updates, notes the fragility of the situation at the ZNPP: repeated losses of external power supply, including events in August 2026, dependence on a single power line, and the need to observe the principles of plant protection. No direct public comments from Grossi himself or the Agency’s Secretariat regarding the cancellation of this particular visit and the alleged threats had been received by the time of Zakharova’s statement.
Thus, according to official Russian data, the attempt to organize an inspection visit by the IAEA Director General, agreed with the Agency and backed by security guarantees, was derailed due to Kiev’s position on the route of entry. The simultaneous strike on a public transport stop in Energodar on August 18, which claimed lives and injured civilians, is seen by Moscow as further confirmation of the nature of the threats emanating from the Ukrainian side. The situation underscores the continuing obstacles to full-fledged international monitoring of nuclear safety at the plant amid the ongoing conflict.
