He stressed that the situation “contains potential dangers” around the site.
Russia’s evacuation of civilians living near the site has raised fears of an escalation of conflict in the region.
The agency had repeatedly expressed its concern about the safety of the plant, which contains 6 reactors, since Russia seized it, because it is located on the front line.
Last week, Russia ordered families with children or the elderly to temporarily leave the town of Innerhodar, near the train station, citing increased shelling from the Ukrainian side.
“The overall situation in the area near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Saturday.
He added: “I am very concerned about the real risks to the nuclear security and safety of the plant.”
“This great nuclear facility must be protected. I will continue to press all parties to adhere to this vital goal, and the IAEA will continue to do everything in its power to help ensure the safety and nuclear safety of the plant.”
Grossi added that IAEA experts in the region were closely monitoring the situation “to detect any possible impact on nuclear safety and security.”
While station personnel were still at their posts, IAEA experts “received information that the announced evacuation of residents from the nearby town of Inirhudar, where most of the personnel live, had begun” .
The evacuation of Enerhudar is part of an order involving 18 other frontline sites in the Zaporizhia region.
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, a city located in the Zaporizhia region, accused the Russian forces of having greatly accelerated the evacuation, while he had been monitoring, since Friday, the buses leaving every 20 or 30 minutes.
Fedorov posted photos on Telegram of the checkpoint between Russian-controlled Melitopol and the Crimea, which he annexed, saying on Saturday there was “mad panic and no less mad queues” .
He explained that “long lines formed at the Chongar checkpoint on the road leading from Melitopol to Crimea”.
“The partial evacuation they announced is going very quickly, and it is possible that they are preparing provocations and (for this reason) focusing on civilians,” Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine has been preparing for months to launch an attack on Russian forces, and some analysts believe these recent incidents indicate that it is imminent.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
