Russia EXPECTS IAEA’s visit to Zaporizhzhya as attacks traded over who’s to blame for shelling

The United Nations nuclear watchdog will visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant within days, if talks to gain access succeed, IAEA said in a statement on Tuesday (August 23). Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of firing at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which pro-Moscow forces took over soon after military conflict started Feb. 24. Meanwhile, at a UNSC meeting on the Zaporizhzhia issue, Russia and US representatives engaged in a heated discussion about who’s to blame for the shelling. Nebenzia, Russian representative to the UN, told the Security Council that his country is expecting IAEA’s visit to Zaporizhzhya to take place “in the very near future“. The UN has previously called for the area to be demilitarized, and the US side repeated the request at the meeting. IAEA Director General Grossi stressed in a statement that it is vital the IAEA mission can take place as soon as possible to avoid a ‘severe nuclear accident’ in Europe and to stabilize the situat