The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, announced on Wednesday that he had gone to Kyiv for negotiations on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The Director General of the IAEA will also go to Moscow next week. The Kremlin has announced "nationalization" of the ZNPP.

"On our way to Kyiv for important meetings. The need for a Nuclear Safety and Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) around Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is now more urgent than ever," Grossi wrote on Twitter.

On our way to Kyiv for important meetings. The need for a Nuclear Safety and Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) around #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is now more urgent than ever. pic.twitter.com/XFetpJ65ai

— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) October 5, 2022

On 1 September, a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived at the ZNPP in occupied Enerhodar. On 5 September, four of the six members of the IAEA mission completed their work and left the ZNPP, with two representatives of the organisation remaining at the plant.

The IAEA released a report later regarding radiation safety in Ukraine, which included data on the mission's visit to the ZNPP.

Members of the IAEA team confirmed that Russian forces deployed military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various locations throughout the ZNPP, including several heavy military trucks on the first floor of the turbine halls in power units No.1 and No.2. The IAEA also noted that a Rosatom expert group was present at the plant. [Rosatom is Russia’s state nuclear/atomic energy corporation - ed.]

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said that a safety zone around the ZNPP needs to be established immediately to prevent a nuclear accident.