UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Monday defended as an "extraordinary exception" his decision to send staff through Russian territory to relieve colleagues based at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

A new monitoring mission from the U.N. nuclear watchdog arrived on Saturday at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, Russia's Rosatom company said, after weeks of delay caused by military activity around the site.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent Rikard Jozwiak and Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom have reported a new rotation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts arriving at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP),

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Monday defended the first ever visit by his staff to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant through Russian-occupied territory, saying the "exception"

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has condemned the rotation of IAEA experts at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) via Russian-occupied

Ukraine said on Sunday it condemned a "breach of territorial sovereignty" by employees of the U.N. nuclear watchdog who visited the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine via Russian-occupied territory.

The statement came hours after Russian occupation authorities claimed that a rotation of IAEA personnel had taken place through Russian-controlled territory.

International atomic monitors are for the first time traveling through Russian territory rather than Ukraine to reach Europe’s biggest nuclear-power plant, said three diplomats briefed on the matter — a blow to Kyiv’s desire to avoid international recognition of the Kremlin’s ownership claims.

The UN's nuclear watchdog defended itself on Monday against criticism from the Ukrainian government following the recent rotation of agency experts at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

A new team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine on March 1, marking the first time the agency's monitors reached the site through the occupied territory.