Verified geolocation data confirms that during the movement of IAEA personnel to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Russian strike systems were active in the area, particularly near the settlement of Kamianske. In addition, Russian forces conducted offensive operations in this area despite written guarantees to the IAEA by both sides of the conflict on 12 February 2025 to ensure the safety of this route. No activity from Ukrainian strike systems was recorded on the day of the rotation of IAEA representatives.
Social media and Russian websites are spreading claims that Ukraine has attacked a convoy of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The claim was made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “Ukraine has demonstrated its terrorist nature and unreliability by disrupting the rotation of IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. (…) It should be noted that the IAEA rotation at the ZNPP, which was postponed from 5 February to 12 February due to Ukraine’s actions, has once again not taken place. According to her, the rotation began as planned, but the agency’s movement was blocked by the Ukrainian armed forces,” the Russian newspaper Izvestiya quoted Zakharova as saying. The Russian defence ministry released a video circulating on social media purporting to confirm an attack by Ukrainian forces on a convoy of experts.
In reality, the attack on the IAEA representatives during their rotation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was carried out by the Russian army. Verified geolocation data confirms that Russian strike systems were active in the area during the movement of IAEA personnel to the plant, specifically near the settlement of Kamianske. No activity of Ukrainian strike systems was recorded in this area on the day of the rotation of IAEA representatives.
According to the Ukrdailyupdate website, which provides near real-time tracking of verified military activities by both the Russian and Ukrainian armies, Russian strike systems were active in the area on 12 February 2025 during the IAEA personnel rotation.
Specifically, there were three documented Russian attacks during or before the IAEA rotation, as well as three attacks on the road used by the inspectors. The Ukrdailyupdate map also shows that mines may have been planted along the road in advance. The section of the road where the three explosions occurred is under the control of the Russian army. In addition, two Russian FPV drone strikes were recorded in the area. Notably, no Ukrainian strike system activity was recorded in this region on the day of the IAEA rotation.
In addition, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR) confirmed that on the morning of 12 February 2025, Russian assault groups consisting of 13 members of the Russian 135th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 19th Division of the 58th Army attacked the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Kamianske in the Zaporizhzhya region. This attempted attack is accurately documented on the Ukrdailyupdate map. The Russian offensive effectively disrupted international agreements on the rotation of IAEA technical experts at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as their planned route passed through this area, according to Ukrainian intelligence. In addition, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said he had received written security guarantees from both sides of the conflict.
Thus, all available evidence indicates that the ceasefire agreement for the safe passage of the experts was violated by one side – Russia, which deliberately and demonstratively disrupts agreements related to nuclear safety. At the same time, Russia consistently accuses Ukraine of violating the rules of war, while denying its own involvement in war crimes. In particular, just two days later, on 14 February 2025, a Russian drone attacked the protective sarcophagus of the fourth reactor of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, creating a risk of radioactive leakage from under the sarcophagus.
StopFake continues to debunk similar disinformation in stories such as Fake: Ukraine ‘Attacked Chornobyl NPP Sarcophagus to Blame Russia’, Fake: Ukraine Shells Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and Fake: Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry Recognizes Russia’s Strikes as Highly Precise.
