(Reuters) – Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of deliberately disrupting rotation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The ministry’s spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said in a statement that the Russian side had again used tactics it had employed before.
“(Russia) gives vague signals of its supposed readiness to guarantee safe passage, but an hour before the start of the rotation it opens fire or starts hostilities in the area,” Tykhyi said.
There was no immediate comment from Russia.
The Moscow-installed governor of the Zaporizhzhia region earlier accused Ukraine of attacking the city of Enerhodar near the nuclear power plant using drones.
Last week Ukraine said the IAEA had to postpone the rotation due to a lack of security guarantees from Russia, an accusation rejected by Moscow.
Russia captured Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine shortly after the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The IAEA has deployed staff to the plant since September 2022.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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