International Atomic Energy Agency

Washington on Thursday warned Russia against diverting energy from a nuclear plant Kiev says was cut off from its grid, as calls for an independent inspection of the facility mount.

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is under occupation by Moscow's troops and was disconnected from the national power supply on Thursday, the state energy operator said.

IAEA's sending an urgent safety mission to Zaporizhzhia power plant was announced by the general director of that agency, Rafael Grossi, for TV France 24.
"We are very, very close to it," Grossi said when asked if the negotiations on gaining access to the facility were successful, and if so, the mission of the UN agency will start within a few days, Reuters reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed that independent inspectors can travel to the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the French presidency said on Aug. 19, as fears grow over fighting near the site.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Shoigu and Guterres discussed the security situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP

Recently, the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia has also been threatened, while accusations of attacks come from both sides.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Over 40 countries called on Russia to hand over the Zaporizhzhia NPP to Kyiv

The video shows a cloud of smoke coming from the direction of the power plant, according to eyewitnesses.
Reuters writes that the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, therefore proposed that the power plant in Zaporizhzhia declare part of the area around it a demilitarized zone.

The U.N. nuclear chief warned Thursday that "very alarming" military activity at Europe's largest nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine could lead to dangerous consequences for the region and called for an end to attacks at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia facility.

Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeast Ukraine are preparing to connect to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and are damaging it by reorienting its electricity production, Ukrainian operator Energoatom warned Tuesday.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 6 accused Russia of using the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "for terror" after the operator of the facility reported major damage at the site.