Grossi’s ZNPP visit can hinder Kiev’s efforts to blame Russia for attacks — senator

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. The Kiev regime is trying to shift responsibility to Russia for Ukrainian attacks on the infrastructure and personnel of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and is therefore seeking to derail International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi’s visit to the plant, Russian Federation Council Senator from the Donetsk People’s Republic Alexander Voloshin told TASS. Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kiev had derailed Grossi’s visit to the ZNPP scheduled for August 20-21. Russia provided security guarantees for Grossi, while Kiev said it could not provide such guarantees. "Kiev is clearly afraid of an objective assessment of what is happening at the ZNPP and is doing everything possible to prevent genuine international oversight. The disruption of the IAEA chief’s visit is therefore quite understandable. The less independent presence there is on the ground, the easier it is for Kiev to present the consequences of another attack in a way that suits it and once again try to shift responsibility onto Russia," Voloshin said. He added that threats to the IAEA mission looked particularly cynical amid continued Ukrainian strikes that targeted ZNPP personnel restoring power supplies to damaged facilities. "Kiev and its Western backers are the loudest in talking about nuclear safety, but in practice they are threatening those who ensure the plant’s safe operation every day," the senator concluded. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the nearby city of Energodar have repeatedly come under Ukrainian attacks. On July 15, Ukrainian forces attacked a ZNPP service vehicle with a drone, killing Chief Engineer Alexander Yakovlev and the driver. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi condemned Yakovlev’s killing, calling the attack on the ZNPP and its management "unacceptable." Russian President Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded Yakovlev the Order of Courage, one of Russia’s highest state decorations.