On February 12, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a series of strikes on a convoy of vehicles escorting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts on their way to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the Russian Defense Ministry reported. 

According to the Russian department, the convoy was hit 12 times, including four artillery attacks, three mortar strikes, and five attacks using FPV drones. As a result of the attack, the vehicles of the Russian Defense Ministry working group, which was ensuring the safety of the specialists, were damaged. No one in the convoy was hurt, but the rotation of IAEA experts was disrupted again. 

"The deliberate actions of the Ukrainian side once again demonstrate its inability to negotiate and terrorist nature," - said the Russian Foreign Ministry. 

The rotation of IAEA specialists at the Zaporizhzhya NPP was supposed to take place on February 5, but then the attempt to change the group was thwarted by Ukrainian troops. An attempt to deliver a new shift of experts on February 12 also ended in failure. 

The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, has remained the focus of international attention since the beginning of the conflict. Since autumn 2022, IAEA experts have been permanently stationed at the facility to monitor the safety of the plant and prevent possible incidents. Regular rotation of specialists is a prerequisite for their work, but in the context of hostilities, it is becoming increasingly difficult to replace experts. 

The Russian authorities place full responsibility for the disruption of the rotation on the Ukrainian side, accusing Kyiv of deliberate actions aimed at destabilizing the situation around the Zaporizhzhya NPP.