The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday, August 4, that it found no mines or explosives on the roofs of two reactor buildings and in the turbine halls of Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporozhye power plant.
The largest nuclear facility in Europe fell into the hands of Russian forces shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Kiev and Moscow have since accused each other of planning the incident at the plant, Radio Free Europe reports.
The Ukrainian military claimed that "external objects similar to explosive devices were placed on the outer roof of the third and fourth reactors" at the site.
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that "they did not observe any mines or explosives on the roofs of the reactor buildings of Unit 3 and Unit 4 and the turbine halls at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine, after they were given access yesterday afternoon," according to a statement published on Friday. .
On July 23, agency experts saw antipersonnel mines located in the buffer zone between the site's inner and outer perimeter barriers.
After repeatedly calling for unrestricted access to the plant, "the team had unhindered access to the roofs of the two reactor units and could also clearly see the roofs of the turbine halls," it added.
The IAEA will continue its requests to visit the roofs of the other four units at the plant.
"Timely, independent and objective reporting of the facts on the ground is critical to the IAEA's continued efforts to support nuclear security during the country's military conflict," said IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi.
After falling into Russian hands, Europe's largest power plant has been the target of gunfire and has been disconnected from the grid several times, sparking fears of a major nuclear accident.
Six reactor units, which before the war produced about a fifth of Ukraine's electricity, were shut down months ago.
US State Department Sanctions Coordinator James O'Brien said today that Russia needs to be more clear about what it requires to return to the grain agreement.
In a conversation with journalists, he said that the US is ready to help, but that "it is unclear what Russia considers a success."
"That's the problem... Russia is exporting record amounts of grain, they said it was 61,8 million tons last year, which I think is 10 to 15 percent more than any year before. If we measure amount of food globally, then we need to focus on a process mediated by the UN and Turkey, which helps Russia to export, and they complain about the little things in a system that works very well," O'Brien said.
Ukraine and Croatia have agreed on the possibility of using Croatian ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea for the export of Ukrainian grain, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
Sources in Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) claim that a Russian naval ship was damaged in this morning's Ukrainian drone attack on the port of Novorossiysk, although the Kremlin said its forces repelled the attack.
The SBU, together with the Ukrainian Navy, carried out an operation in the Black Sea in which the large landing ship "Olenegorski Rudar" was damaged, a source from the SBU told the BBC.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced this morning that it repelled the Ukrainian attack by two unmanned boats and that no material damage was caused.
But a Ukrainian source said the Olenegorsky Gornjak, an amphibious assault ship built to transport equipment and land troops ashore, had been hit and was "unable to carry out its combat missions".
In a video sent to the BBC by a source from the SBU, a vessel can be seen approaching the ship, which is believed to be the Olenegorski Gornjak, and sailing right alongside it.
Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
The port of Novorossiysk temporarily suspended ship traffic after the attack, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which loads oil onto tankers in the port, said.
Novorossiysk is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. Emergency services in the area have confirmed reports of explosions, and security services have been notified, Russian state media reported.
Conflicts at sea have intensified in recent weeks, after Russia abandoned a UN agreement that allowed grain to be safely exported between Russia and Ukraine by water.
Two unmanned boats with which the Ukrainians tried to attack the naval base in Novorossiysk were destroyed, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today.
"Ukraine's armed forces, using two unmanned boats, tried to attack the Novorossiysk naval base last night," according to a statement reported by TASS.
The ministry added that the unmanned boats were spotted and destroyed by fire from Russian ships guarding the naval base.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev said there were no casualties or damage.
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