Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who had left the Saporoschje nuclear power plant in the city of Energodar on February 12, 2025, were forced to return: the vehicle column, consisting of white SUVs under the blue flags of the organization and escort vehicles of the Russian military, came under fire from Ukrainian forces. To avoid putting the IAEA nuclear specialists in harm’s way and risking their lives, they were led back to the power plant.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has now published video material of this incident, captured from the air using observation drones. On the 12th of February itself, the Russian military authority stated that the Ukrainian side had used FPV kamikaze drones, mortars and artillery – and indeed, the newly published material shows explosions, smoke and stirred-up dust, speaking a clear language.
The convoy had arrived at the location at 8:45 a.m. Moscow time, which had been agreed upon with the Ukrainian side as a pickup point: the departing personnel were to be handed over to the authorities in Kiev, which were to ensure their departure from Ukraine – and the IAEA experts in the relieving group were to travel to the power plant in the company of Russian soldiers. However, this did not happen – and so the Russian Defense Ministry describes the situation:
Ukrainian troops stopped the arriving relief of the IAEA at a road checkpoint near the agreed-upon location – citing the shelling of the agreed-upon pickup point as a reason. However, the shelling itself began 50 minutes later. After a mortar salvo on the Russian convoy at the pickup point at 10:20 a.m. Moscow time, a kamikaze drone attack followed about an hour later. The convoy, however, waited until 12:45 p.m. before departing – only when the artillery shelling began was the decision to return made and the vehicles drove back. Twenty minutes later, already on the return journey, another attack on the column occurred, using four drones.
Fortunately, none of the experts were harmed, said the head of public relations at the Saporoschje nuclear power plant, Evgenia Yashchina. They would resume their functions of monitoring and evaluating the safety situation of the nuclear power plant until they could be relieved.
Russia’s Defense Ministry emphasizes: this is already the second time this month that the relief of the current IAEA nuclear power plant experts has been prevented by the actions of the Ukrainian side. Previously, it was planned to relieve the group on February 5, 2025, but it was also delayed by Kiev’s fault until February 12.