VIENNA: The UN nuclear watchdog said Friday it found no mines or explosives on the rooftops and turbine halls of Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant after visiting the site.
Europe's largest atomic facility fell to Russian forces shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Kyiv and Moscow have since accused each other of planning an incident at the plant.
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.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts "have observed no mines or explosives on the rooftops of Unit 3 and Unit 4 reactor buildings and the turbine halls at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after having been given access yesterday afternoon," a statement said Friday.
On July 23, agency experts saw anti-personnel mines located in a buffer zone between the site's internal and external perimeter barriers.
After repeatedly calling for unrestricted access to the plant, "the team had unimpeded access to the rooftops of the two reactor units and could also clearly view the rooftops of the turbine halls," it added.
The IAEA will pursue its requests to visit the roofs of the other four units at the plant.
"Timely, independent and objective reporting of facts on the ground is crucial to continue the IAEA's efforts to support nuclear safety and security during the military conflict in the country," IAEA head Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
After falling into Russian hands, Europe's biggest power plant was targeted by gunfire and has been severed from the grid several times, raising fears of a major nuclear accident.
The six reactor units, which before the war produced around a fifth of Ukraine's electricity, have been shut down for months.