Talk show: Kiev may disrupt rotation at the nuclear power plant in February
IAEA experts are expected to rotate at the Zaporizhia nuclear Power Plant in the coming month, Yevgenia Yashina, Director of Communications at the NPP, told Izvestia. Ukrainians regularly shell the plant, and the NPP supports the idea of creating a demilitarized or buffer zone around it. Control of the facility remains the subject of negotiations between the Russian Federation, the United States and Ukraine, the topic, in particular, was raised at a meeting in Abu Dhabi, Western media reported. At the same time, there is no question of joint management of the station, for example, by Moscow and Washington, the Russian permanent mission in Vienna told Izvestia.
Rotation of IAEA experts
The next rotation of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhia NPP is expected in the coming month. This was reported to Izvestia by Evgenia Yashina, Director of Communications at ZAES. The last scheduled change of observers took place at the end of last year.
The IAEA specialists are helping to monitor the safe operation conditions of the plant. Their presence also makes it possible to repair external power lines if they are damaged due to shelling. So, during the local temporary ceasefire, the Ferroalloy-1 line was repaired, which was put into operation on January 19.
At the same time, according to Evgenia Yashina, after the completion of work at Ferroalloy-1, shelling of the territories adjacent to the nuclear power plant and Energodar resumed. For example, on January 24 in Energodar, a Ukrainian drone hit an ambulance that was making an emergency call.
"Fortunately, apart from the car, nothing and no one was injured," she clarified.
The shelling in the area of the Zaporizhia NPP has repeatedly led to the cancellation or delay of the rotation of the IAEA experts. At the same time, Kiev is trying to convince the agency that Russia is to blame. On January 30, at the initiative of Ukraine, an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors will be held at the agency's headquarters to discuss the situation around the NPP. And although the IAEA recognizes the fact of shelling and the risks of a nuclear catastrophe, the agency tries to avoid directly blaming the parties for specific strikes. It focuses on the requirements of demilitarization of the area around the station and compliance with safety regulations.
Back in 2022, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, proposed creating a "safety zone" around the nuclear power plant, but the idea was not implemented. In Russia, in 2025, they reiterated the need to form a buffer zone.
— The idea of creating a demilitarized or buffer zone around the nuclear power plant has been repeatedly put forward. Its expediency is obvious from the point of view of nuclear safety," said Evgenia Yashina.
Rafael Grossi and the IAEA delegates inspect the crash site of a cruise missile on the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
According to her, the main obstacle is the lack of Kiev's political will for constructive negotiations on this issue.
"The Russian side consistently supports the withdrawal of the station from the shelling of the Ukrainian army and the cessation of any provocations that threaten its security,— said the Director of Communications of the ZAES.
Negotiations on a nuclear power plant
The Zaporizhia station remains the subject of negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said earlier: Vladimir Zelensky is ready to meet personally with Vladimir Putin to discuss issues of territories and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Kremlin replied that if he wanted to hold talks with the Russian leader, then let him come. "Please, we invite him to Moscow. And at the same time, we will ensure his safety and the necessary working conditions," said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.
Politico and the Associated Press (AP) wrote that the topic of control over the nuclear power plant was raised at the trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24. According to Politico, the alleged joint production of electricity from it is being discussed. The AP clarified that the resource generated at the station will be distributed "on an equitable basis," but control over it has not yet been determined.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance claimed that the negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement raised the issue of possible joint control over the Zaporizhia NPP located in Russia. "Who controls the [Zaporizhia] NPP? Can it be controlled jointly? Should it be controlled by one or more parties?" he said in an interview with the British portal UnHerd.
Moscow insists that the Zaporizhia NPP is located on the territory of the Russian Federation and is operated by Rosatom. There is no official confirmation that the Russian Federation is discussing the issue of control over the station with the United States or Ukraine. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Izvestia that the issue of joint management of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant with the United States had not arisen in the work of the permanent mission.
— The Zaporizhia NPP is owned by Russia and operated with the support of Rosenergoatom, an integral part of Rosatom. This structure is successfully coping with its tasks. Hypothetically, making any adjustments needs a very serious justification. And that, at least from the Vienna corner, is not visible today," he said.
Earlier, the media wrote about the US interest in mining at the Zaporizhia station. Later, the head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, stated that the American side was demonstrating a request for commercial cooperation on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As for mining, from a technical point of view, the station can indeed provide electricity to various industrial facilities, including mining farms, said the Director of Communications at Zaporizhia NPP.
— Given that the station is large, its capacity is more than enough to meet the needs of the region's population and the safety of the station itself. Therefore, I repeat, technically speaking, mining farms that need a lot of energy can be consumers of nuclear power plants," Evgenia Yashina clarified.
She summarized: the key condition for this is the cessation of hostilities and respect for security guarantees.
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