The IAEA has sounded the alarm over "increased military presence and activity" near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Friday in a statement that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant "underlines the importance and urgency of agreeing on the protection of the plant".

In recent months, Grossi has been consulting with Ukraine and Russia on creating a safety zone at the Zaporizhzhia plant, Xinhua news agency reported.

The IAEA Director General added that the IAEA experts had completed a rotation at the Zaporizhzhia plant on Thursday to continue the agency's assessment of the facility's security situation.