Ukraine condemns IAEA nuclear plant visit via Russian-occupied territory

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine said connected Sunday it condemned a "breach of territorial sovereignty" by employees of the U.N. atomic watchdog who visited the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works successful Ukraine via Russian-occupied territory.

In an emailed statement, Ukraine's overseas ministry blamed "Russian blackmail and systematic attempts to enforce upon planetary organisations amerciable and contradictory mechanisms of operating connected the temporarily occupied territories."

A caller monitoring ngo from the IAEA arrived connected Saturday astatine the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been occupied by Russia since 2022, for the archetypal clip done Russian territory, the Russia-installed caput of the works said.

Previously, monitoring missions entered the Russian-occupied country from territory controlled by Kyiv. The IAEA did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Sunday.

The IAEA rotation came aft weeks of hold caused by subject enactment astir the tract with each broadside blaming the different for violating rules to guarantee the team's harmless transition to the plant.

(Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ros Russell)