On the eve of the visit of the IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Ukrainian troops attempted to seize the nuclear power plant and fired at the nearby city of Energodar.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the authorities of the region.

“Today, at about 06:00 Moscow time, Ukrainian troops in two sabotage groups of up to 60 people in seven boats landed on the coast of the Kakhovka reservoir, 3 km northeast of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, and attempted to seize the power plant,” the Russian military department said.

However, the Ukrainian landing force was blocked by the servicemen of the National Guard and came under fire from the Russian army aviation.

Soon the resistance of the saboteurs was broken: almost all of them died, three were captured.

Also on the morning of September 1, the RF Armed Forces sank two self-propelled barges with another group of saboteurs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

She departed from Nikopol and was supposed to land at the village of Vodiane near the nuclear power plants.

  • Scheme of the landing of Ukrainian troops in the area of ​​​​Energodar

  • © Telegram-channel Mir today with "Yury Podolyak"

In addition, on the morning of September 1, Ukrainian forces shelled Energodar and the meeting place of the IAEA mission heading to the station.

Four shells of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to the military department of the Russian Federation, exploded at a distance of 400 m from the first power unit.

The Ministry of Defense is confident that the purpose of Kyiv's provocations was to disrupt the visit of the Zaporizhzhya NPP by agency inspectors.

A similar point of view in his Telegram channel was expressed by a member of the military-civilian administration (CAA) of the Zaporozhye region Vladimir Rogov.

He believes that the Kyiv regime seeks to intimidate the IAEA staff.

According to the CAA authorities, the Ukrainian authorities tried to prevent the passage of agency vehicles, but the observers, albeit with a delay, nevertheless arrived at the ZNPP. 

At the same time, Kyiv refuses to take responsibility for the shelling of Energodar and Zaporizhzhya NPP.

So, in his Telegram channel, the head of the part of Zaporozhye controlled by Kyiv, Oleksandr Starukh, wrote that Russian troops allegedly fired on the route along which the IAEA mission was heading towards the nuclear power plant.

The official claims at the same time that it is the Ukrainian authorities who are making efforts to stop provocations and provide unhindered access for specialists to the station.

Meanwhile, according to the CAA of the Zaporozhye region, at least three civilians of Energodar were killed due to shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on September 1, and the 5th power unit was stopped at the nuclear power plant.

“Kyiv is afraid of this”

Speaking at MGIMO on September 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed the hope that IAEA staff will carry out the tasks of assessing the technical condition and safety of the station, as required by international law.

“We expect objectivity, although all the others who are somehow connected with this visit, were involved in its preparation, with attempts to make it difficult, they clearly do not want the IAEA mission to draw objective conclusions,” Lavrov said.

  • Servicemen of the RF Armed Forces in Energodar

  • RIA News

  • © Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the mission includes ballistics experts who are able to draw objective conclusions as to who is responsible for the constant shelling of nuclear power plants.

Lavrov recalled that back in May, the Russian side was able to agree with the IAEA on the date of the visit to the Zaporozhye station.

However, the organization did not receive permission to send a delegation from the UN Secretariat.

The differences were later settled.

Moscow does not rule out the permanent presence of the agency's international observers at the ZNPP.

The IAEA also says that they are ready for this, but the timing of the deployment of such a mission has not yet been announced.

The delegation that was sent to the Zaporizhzhya NPP should work for several days.

It is personally headed by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

In addition to him, the mission includes about one and a half dozen specialists.


As the head of the administration of the Zaporozhye region, Yevgeny Balitsky, clarified on September 1, agency employees plan to stay at the station until September 3, get acquainted with the working hall of the nuclear power plant, as well as visit the reactors and meet with the staff.

Nominally, the Kyiv regime supports the arrival of IAEA staff.

However, according to experts interviewed by RT, the Ukrainian authorities are making every effort to ensure that observers cannot draw objective conclusions.

So, in an interview with RT, Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, believes that Kyiv systematically aggravated the situation around the ZNPP, hoping to disrupt the visit of the inspectors of the international agency.

“Kyiv accuses Russia of shelling the ZNPP, but as soon as the IAEA employees see the fragments of these shells, the results of artillery hits, then all the arguments of the Ukrainian side will be worthless, unless, of course, the observers are objective.

Kyiv is really very afraid of this and therefore continues its terrorist actions, ”Olenchenko emphasized.

According to the Zaporozhye and Russian authorities, Energodar and the territory of the station are constantly shelled, including with the use of American M777 howitzers.

On August 29, one of the shells from this artillery complex pierced the roof of the ZNPP special building, where fuel for the reactors is stored.

And on August 28, Russian air defense systems shot down a US-made kamikaze drone over the station.

Along with this, the Armed Forces of Ukraine regularly strike at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, the uninterrupted operation of which is necessary to cool the reactors of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Provocations by Ukrainian troops are often arranged using HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems supplied from the United States.

  • Serviceman of the RF Armed Forces on the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP

  • RIA News

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on August 31, that is, on the eve of the visit of the IAEA mission, the Ukrainian security forces sent three kamikaze drones to the ZNPP, but they were all neutralized by electronic warfare (EW).

On the same day, the Military Administration of the Zaporozhye region reported that armed saboteurs had been detained in Energodar, who were planning to commit a terrorist attack at a nuclear power plant.

The arsenal of Ukrainian militants, in addition to small arms and grenade launchers, included a large amount of explosives.

“They were very well prepared.

They possessed not just knowledge, they possessed complete information about the features of the nuclear power plant and the most unprotected places in it.

As a result of the operational search activities, this attempted terrorist attack was not only prevented, the group was detained.

Without a single shot," Rogov said in a TASS comment.

"Disrupt normal functioning"

As an expert of the Association of Military Political Scientists, retired colonel Andrey Koshkin, suggested in an interview with RT, it would be beneficial for Kyiv to seize and mine the Zaporozhye station in order to be able to blackmail Russia and the whole world.

“The Kyiv regime does not hesitate to commit the most inhumane crimes.

In the situation around the ZNPP, it can be assumed that the strategic plan of sabotage conceived for the visit of the IAEA was to take control of the plant, mine it, and then put forward their political demands, deliver an ultimatum to Russia and the international community, ”says Koshkin.

Recall that Kyiv, refusing dialogue with Russia, has repeatedly stated its intention to "return" all the "occupied territories", including Crimea.

In addition, the Ukrainian government intends to recover compensation from the Russian Federation for the damage caused during the special operation.

In early July, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal estimated the restoration of Ukraine at $750 billion. According to him, confiscated Russian assets should become a key source of funding.

“I think that in Energodar the Zelensky regime was going to act according to the classic terrorist scheme.

At the same time, the United States and Great Britain are the initiator and sponsor of such a daring operation, ”says Koshkin.

In his opinion, Washington and London actually manage the Office of the President.

The political scientist also recalled that American and British instructors are actively preparing the Armed Forces of Ukraine for sabotage operations, providing Ukrainian troops with weapons and intelligence to carry out terrorist attacks.

It should be noted that earlier the involvement of the British special services in the sabotage at the ZNPP was reported in the Zaporozhye State Administration with reference to sources from the environment of the Ukrainian president.

Vladimir Olenchenko, in turn, believes that the Kyiv regime will continue to arrange military actions near the Zaporizhzhya NPP even during the work of the IAEA mission there.

  • President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

  • © president.gov.ua

“Apparently, there are no stop lines for the Ukrainian leadership.

In my opinion, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not guarantee the safety of the IAEA delegation and may well arrange an armed provocation against it, then blaming Russia for this, ”said Olenchenko.

The strategic goal of the Kyiv regime, he said, is to disable the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

The Ukrainian authorities are not worried about the possible catastrophic consequences of such actions, the expert is sure.

“Kyiv is trying to disrupt the normal functioning of the station.

At the same time, they will destroy the supply infrastructure associated with it.

The Zelensky regime has already cut off the controlled territories from the ZNPP and is now striving to prevent the settlements of the liberated regions from receiving electricity, ”summed up Olenchenko.