Ukraine Files Formal Protest Over Unauthorized IAEA Staff Rotation at Zaporizhzhia NPP

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted a rotation of its observers without Ukraine’s consent, at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) through temporarily Russian-occupied territory, escorted by Russian military personnel. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the move, calling it a “humanitarian evacuation under pressure” and issuing a formal note of protest to the agency on March 2.

IAEA observers, including three inspectors, were involved in the rotation. Their task remains to monitor and assess both operational and physical safety at the plant. For the first time, the rotation route passed entirely through temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory under the escort of the Russian National Guard. The exact date of the operation was not specified. The transfer had been scheduled a month earlier but was postponed twice.

The IAEA has not commented on the claim, and it is unclear whether Ukrainian authorities were informed in advance. According to Rosatom, discussions on the rotation took place throughout February, including an interagency meeting in Moscow between IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Rosatom officials.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the move, arguing that some IAEA personnel had violated Ukrainian sovereignty by traveling through occupied territory instead of routes controlled by Kyiv. The ministry accused Russia of deliberately preventing the IAEA from conducting rotations as planned and of forcing agency employees to remain at the plant under duress.

“The situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has become a clear example of such Russian blackmail,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Russia effectively held IAEA personnel at the station for 80 days—far beyond the planned period—exposing them to unprecedented psychological pressure in a high-risk zone,” it added.

The ministry further argued that the operation breached Ukrainian law and UN General Assembly resolutions. It rejected the description of the move as a routine rotation, instead calling it a “humanitarian evacuation.” Ukraine has formally protested to the IAEA leadership, warning against further actions that violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Earlier, on March 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom for a high-level European security summit hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.