The visit of the head of the IAEA to Moscow may take place in the near future

A new visit of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Russia may take place in the near future, Mikhail Ulyanov, permanent representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“I think it’s quite real” – Ulyanov said, answering the question whether the Russian side plans to invite Grossi to Moscow in the near future to discuss safety at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and other topical issues.

“Not next week, but a little later, the visit of Rafael Grossi to Russia may well take place,” – added the permanent representative of the Russian Federation.

Grossi’s last visit to Moscow, during which he discussed the situation around the ZNPP with the Russian side, took place in early February.

Zaporozhye NPP is located on the left bank of the Dnieper near the town of Energodar. This is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of the number of units and installed capacity – the plant has six power units with a capacity of 1 gigawatt each. Since March last year, it has been under the protection of the Russian military. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that this step was justified in order to avoid leakage of nuclear and radioactive materials.

The Ukrainian military continues to regularly shell Enerhodar and the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant adjacent to the city. Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu said that the Kiev regime seeks to create the appearance of a threat of a nuclear catastrophe by continuing to purposefully shell the ZNPP. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly stated the need to create a security zone around the ZNPP.