Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have verified the presence of mines situated in close proximity to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian occupation. This situation has raised serious concerns about the safety and security of the nuclear facility and its potential implications in the ongoing conflict.
The IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement that the IAEA team had discovered “some mines located in a buffer zone between the site’s internal and external perimeter barriers” during an inspection conducted on Sunday, although the inspection team did not come across any devices “within the inner site perimeter.”

The mines were found in a restricted area that is inaccessible to plant personnel, he said.

“Our team has raised this specific finding with the plant and they have been told that it is a military decision, and in an area controlled by military,” Grossi said.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been under Russian control since the beginning of March 2022. Since September, all six of its reactors have been shut down.

The IAEA had still not been given access to the roofs of the reactor buildings and their turbine halls, its latest statement said.