Rafael Grossi
Rafael Grossi is an Argentine diplomat and nuclear affairs specialist who has served as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since December 2019. He previously served as Argentina's ambassador to Austria and held senior positions within the IAEA Secretariat, including as head of the Office for Disarmament Affairs. Grossi is recognized for his work on nuclear non-proliferation and safety, including his involvement in the Iran nuclear issue. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has repeatedly visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, mediating efforts to secure the facility.
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IAEA reports drone strikes near occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, seeks eighth localized ceasefire
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported a series of drone strikes near the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in recent weeks that damaged transformers at the nearby thermal power station critical to the plant's external power supply and knocked out an off-site radiation monitoring station. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said he is negotiating with both sides on a new localized ceasefire to allow repairs — the eighth brokered by the agency for this purpose — and called strikes near nuclear infrastructure at peace and against nuclear infrastructure absolutely unacceptable.
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External power restored to occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after nearly three weeks on diesel
On 7 September 2026, Ukrainian specialists reconnected the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the external grid via the 330 kV 'Ferosplavna-1' line at 19:02, ending more than two weeks of reliance on emergency diesel generators. The repair was carried out under an IAEA-brokered local ceasefire that took effect on 5 September. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called the reconnection an important step in preventing a nuclear accident.