UN inspectors head to Ukraine N-plant

A team of UN inspectors made its way toward Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Wednesday on a perilous, long-sought mission to help secure the site and reduce the risk of a catastrophe from the fighting raging around it.

Underscoring the danger, Kyiv and Moscow again accused each other of shelling the area around the complex, the biggest nuclear plant in Europe.

In recent days, the plant was temporarily knocked offline because of fire damage to a transmission line, heightening fears of a radiation leak or even a reactor meltdown. Officials have begun distributing anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents.


The complex, a vital source of energy for Ukraine, has been occupied by Russian forces and run by Ukrainian engineers since the early days of the six-month-old war.

Ukraine alleges Russia is using the plant as a shield, storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it while Moscow accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on the facility.

With a team finally on the way in a convoy of vans and UN-marked SUVs, Rafael Grossi, the head of the agency, said he knew full well the implications of the unprecedented mission.

"We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory," he said upon departure early Wednesday from Kyiv.

He added that he had received "explicit guarantees" from Russia that the 14 experts would be able to do their work. The mission is expected to last several days.