Russian authorities have sent nuclear specialists to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported.
Ukrainian officials had updated the IAEA about the plant, which is under Russian control but still operated by Ukrainian staff, IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.
Ukrainian staff were working "under incredible pressure," the statement said, citing Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine reported eight representatives of Rosenergoatom – a unit of Russian state nuclear company Rosatom – had been sent to the plant. It said they demanded daily reports from plant management about "confidential issues" on the functioning of plant.
Russian forces seized the plant on March 4 and Grossi has repeatedly expressed concern about the safety of Ukraine's power plants during the conflict.
Russian troops had previously also occupied the Chernobyl nuclear facility, but withdrew at the end of March. After the withdrawal, there were reports Russian soldiers may have suffered radiation damage in the area. Contact with the Chernobyl plant was interrupted for about two months.
In the meantime, technicians have upgraded monitoring systems and gradually restored remote transmission, the IAEA said.
Ukraine currently has four nuclear power plants with 15 units in operation.
