'The day has come': IAEA inspectors arrive in Kyiv ahead of visit to Zaporizhzhia NPP

Amid growing threat of a nuclear catastrophe, a team from United Nation's nuclear watchdog arrived in Kyiv to review situation in Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in souastern Ukraine. According to CNN, IAEA members were seen checking into ir hotel in Kyiv on Tuesday morning. IAEA delegation is headed by IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi, confirmed Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko on Monday.

This development comes amid renewed shelling of facility and rising risk of a nuclear accident. Taking to Twitter, Grossi wrote that day has come when IAEA's Support and Assistance Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) is w on its way. "We must ensure safety and security of # Ukraine's and Europe's most important nuclear facilities," he tweeted.

IAEA nuclear inspectors arrive in Kyiv ahead of visit to Zaporizhzhia

On this visit,  IAEA delegation would assess physical dam to plant, find out how safety systems are working, evaluate working condition of its stock, and perform any urgent safeguard activities, said IAEA in ar tweet. It is expected that inspectors will arrive in Zaporizhzhia as early as Wednesday when team will meet local officials in nearby Enerhodar. It is expected that team will spend several days inspecting power plant. For months, UN's atomic energy ncy has warned about risk of a nuclear catastrophe and sought to send in a delegation to review situation at plant.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow believes that IAEA's mission is necessary, as per TASS. Kremlin spokesperson stated that Russia would ensure safety of IAEA inspectors on captured territory. However, Russian spokesperson reiterated that Russian troops would t step back from captured zone. He said it is up to international community to pressurise Kyiv to reduce tension around site. On or hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday stated this mission "will be hardest in history of IAEA" given active fighting on ground.

Im: AP