The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine can only go ahead if there is a “complete de-occupation” of the area by Russian forces, the head of state nuclear company Energoatom said.

Petro Kotin said Energoatom had held a meeting on Tuesday (13 September) to discuss recommendations made by the International Atomic Energy Agency following a recent inspection visit to the six-unit nuclear facility, the largest in Europe.

“The main prerequisite and the only possibility for the implementation of the IAEA recommendations, which we received after the visit of the agency’s mission to Zaporizhzhia, in particular regarding the creation of a safety zone around the ZNPP, is the complete de-occupation of the station and [the nearby city of] Enerhodar, the withdrawal of Russian military personnel, equipment and weapons from the station site, as well as representatives of [Russian state nuclear corporation] Rosatom,” Mr Kotin said.