The second attempt to rotate representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant was thwarted by the Ukrainian authorities. According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, the Ukrainian side again did not allow the team of IAEA experts to reach the plant, despite the previously agreed time and place of the meeting.

"The Russian military waited for several hours for the IAEA Secretariat experts at the designated location, but the Agency specialists never showed up," — Zakharova stated in her commentary.

According to her, the Ukrainian military, in turn, used drones and carried out mortar shelling, preventing the rotation and increasing tensions around the nuclear power plant.

This incident was the second time that the rotation of IAEA personnel was disrupted. The first attempt, scheduled for February 5, was postponed to February 12, but this time the Ukrainian side did not provide the experts with an opportunity to carry out their work. Moscow is expressing concern about such actions, calling them another manifestation of the "neo-Nazi regime", which, according to Zakharova, demonstrates "inability to negotiate and terrorist nature".

The situation around the Zaporizhzhya NPP remains extremely tense, which underlines the importance of the IAEA's role in ensuring safety and neutrality in the nuclear facilities zone. Russia declares its readiness to continue cooperation with the IAEA to guarantee the safe stay of international experts at the plant.

At the moment, the IAEA, as in previous cases, refrains from making official comments regarding the reported incident.