IAEA Urges Russia to Immediately De-Occupy the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant and Return It to Ukraine

The General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has passed a resolution calling for the withdrawal of all military and unauthorized personnel from the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and its return to Ukrainian control.

According to the resolution, titled “Nuclear Safety, Security, and Guarantees in Ukraine,” the IAEA urged for the “immediate return of the plant to the full control of the competent authorities of Ukraine” to ensure its safety. This would also allow the IAEA to effectively carry out its oversight under Ukraine’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol.

The resolution was approved during the IAEA’s 68th General Conference by 65 votes, with 52 member states co-authoring the document.

Furthermore, the resolution calls on Russia to grant IAEA experts unrestricted access to the ZNPP, which is currently under Russian military control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the resolution, condemning Russia’s actions. He pointed out that “Russia is the only terrorist regime in the world that has stolen a nuclear power plant,” turning Europe’s largest nuclear facility into a military base and using it for nuclear blackmail.

“Nuclear safety is the first point of the peace formula, and it was one of the key topics at the first peace summit,” Zelenskyy noted. He expressed confidence that the international community’s collective resolve would compel Russia to end its blackmail and acts of terror.

Previously, experts from the IAEA stationed at the ZNPP reported hearing explosions at varying distances from the plant, heightening concerns about the safety of the facility.