Russia’s actions at Zaporizhzhya NPP bring Europe closer to nuclear catastrophe

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the latest IAEA data, which once again confirms Russia’s cynical and irresponsible use of the Zaporizhzhya NPP as a military facility. The department emphasized that the station has effectively become a “nuclear shield” to cover up shelling of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

This is stated in a commentary from the Foreign Ministry.

According to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, on August 6, agency inspectors, while on the territory of the plant inspecting the spent nuclear fuel storage facility, recorded multiple artillery salvos. The fire came from areas located in the immediate vicinity of the perimeter of the plant and lasted for more than an hour.

The Foreign Ministry notes that such actions are part of a deliberate tactic by Russian occupation forces, using Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as cover for attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities and villages. Russia is deliberately using a facility where any response from Ukrainian forces is limited due to the danger of a large-scale nuclear catastrophe.

The ministry recalled that similar shelling in the past had already damaged the station’s critical infrastructure, in particular the external power lines that ensured its operation.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry warns that each such incident brings the situation closer to the point of no return, at which a continental-scale tragedy may occur. The Foreign Ministry notes that the use of the territory of a nuclear facility for military action is an act of nuclear terrorism, which requires a decisive and unified response from the entire civilized world.

Ukraine calls on its international partners to increase pressure on Russia with the demand for immediate demilitarization and deoccupation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP and the return of the station under the full control of the legal Ukrainian operator, Energoatom.

Earlier, Russian infidels attacked the power line connecting the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant with the unified energy system of Ukraine.

Let us recall that in May, as a result of enemy shelling , the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP lost power to one of its two power lines and was at risk of a blackout.

By the way, Ukraine demands that the IAEA leadership take a clear position on the occupation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP and not contribute to the legitimization of Russian control over the station.

It should be noted that the United States offered to take over the management of Ukrainian nuclear power plants if this would help end the Russian-Ukrainian war.

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