The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine has been occupied by Russian forces
(Picture: AP)Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has backed calls by the UN for a demilitarised safety protection zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
He said Russia had “put the world on the radiation disaster edge” and it was “up to the world” to put in place “appropriate measures” to ensure Russia “will be forced to stop terror”.
The facility, the biggest nuclear power station in Europe, has been occupied by Vladimir Putin’s forces since the start of the war and it has come under fire during the conflict risking a nuclear disaster.
Last night UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded Russian and Ukrainian forces commit to halting all military activity around the plant in southeastern Ukraine and agree on a “demilitarized perimeter.”
It followed a report published yesterday in which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that visited the plant last week said shelling should stop immediately.
The IAEA team said it had seen first-hand damage to the road surface, walls and windows of buildings of the plant, as well as the overpass connecting the reactor units.
It warned the situation presented a “constant threat to nuclear safety and security” because critical safety functions could be impacted.
“We are playing with fire, and something very,very catastrophic could take place,” Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA told the UN Security Council.
In his nightly address to his nation Mr Zelesnky backed the calls for a demilitarised zone around the plant.
He said: “I believe that the world not only deserves but needs the representatives of the IAEA to force Russia to demilitarize the territory of the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant) and return complete control to Ukraine.”
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for shelling at the site.
Moscow has been accused of storing military equipment inside the facility and the US said it is using it as a “nuclear shield” to protect troops it is stationing there.
The plant lies on the southern bank of the River Dnieper, across the water from Ukrainian-held towns and military positions.
In its report, the IAEA highlighted the “extremely stressful conditions” facing Ukrainian staff working there under Russian military control, but is careful not to apportion blame to either side.
Two of its officials are to remain at the plant on a permanent basis.
