“The day has come. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is now on its way”, Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General announced on Twitter, France Press agency reported. “We must protect the safety and security of Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest nuclear facility. Proud to lead the mission which will be in Zaporizhzhia NPP later this week”, Rafael Grossi wrote further. Fighting around the nuclear power plant has become increasingly intense. 

Kyiv and Moscow traded fresh accusations of shelling around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhizhia nuclear power plant. The Mayor of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov, reported that Russian forces were shelling residential areas of the city. The town was left without power and water because of the attacks. 

For its part, Russia blamed the Ukrainian military for the attacks. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed regional official, said there were four strikes on one of Energodar's residential districts and that seven people were injured after the attack. According to Rogov, the attacks aim to thwart the forthcoming mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the nuclear power plant.

At the same time, the Ukrainian army in Donbas reported that it had staved off the advance of Russian forces towards the city of Slavyansk, as well as attacks in the region of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. 

This week, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will attend an EU Ministers’ Meeting in Prague, where a ban on visas for Russian nationals is expected to be discussed. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who will chair the EU Minister’s Meeting, said he believed “a prohibition on all Russians from entering Europe is not a good idea”.

For his part, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov pointed out that “the West’s actions may slow down the forming of a multipolar world, but will never stop it”.