Russia interfering with nuclear plant operations, IAEA says

VIENNA, Austria — The International Atomic Energy Agency says Russian forces are tightening their grip on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Ukraine’s largest, that they seized last week.

The director-general of the agency, Rafael Grossi, says Ukrainian staff members are now required to seek approval for any operation, even maintenance, from the Russians, and that they have impeded normal communications by switching off some mobile networks and internet at the site.

Ukraine’s regulatory authority said that phone lines, as well as emails and fax lines, are no longer working.

Grossi says he is “extremely concerned about these developments,” adding that for the plant to operate safely, “staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions, without undue external interference or pressure.”