Russia's Foreign Ministry on Nov. 14 warned that it can expel International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant if it finds their work "inappropriate."
The statement comes a day after the agency's director, Rafael Grossi, told the German news agency DPA that IAEA monitors would remain at the Zaporizhzhia plant until the war is "frozen."
"We will continue to be there until the conflict comes to a new phase, at least less combat and maybe a ceasefire — no, a frozen conflict, whatever phase we enter into, but without this looming threat," Grossi said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in response warning that IAEA experts are allowed at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) "only with the consent of the government of the Russian Federation."
The nuclear monitors may only remain "as long as our country considers their stay there to be justified," the ministry said.
In their statement, Russia's Foreign Ministry lambasted Grossi for mentioning a possible cessation of hostilities.
"It is absolutely unclear on what basis the leadership of the IAEA undertakes to judge the prospects of the notorious 'freeze,' which clearly goes beyond its powers," the ministry said.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Teams of IAEA monitors have been based at the plant on a rotating basis since September 2022. Russian authorities still deny inspectors full access to the plant.
The ZNPP's position near the front lines has led to heightened nuclear safety risks throughout Russia's full-scale war.
Kateryna Hodunova
