Experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Tuesday that directional anti-personnel mines were found on the periphery of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP).
Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the IAEA team of experts stationed at the ZNPP saw "some mines located in a buffer zone between the site's inner and outer perimeter barriers."
The IAEA team conducted an inspection in the area on Sunday. According to the agency, the mines were located in a restricted area that is not accessible to plant personnel.
Grossi said no explosive devices were found inside the inner perimeter. "Our team has raised this specific finding with the plant, and they have been told that this is a military decision and in a military-controlled area," the official said.
In addition, the Director General said that "having such explosives on site is incompatible with IAEA safety standards and nuclear safety guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant personnel."
Grossi added that, taking into account the experts' initial assessment, the detonation of these mines would not affect the site's nuclear safety systems.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, has been under Russian control since early March 2022. Amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, its six reactors remain shut down.