Russia and Ukraine exchanged allegations on Tuesday about who is endangering the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to protect the Ukrainian plant from the ongoing war.
Russia convened the UN Security Council meeting to discuss the dangers that close fire and a military presence pose to the power plant in southern Ukraine amid fears a damaged reactor could leak radiation into the region.
Russian troops controlled the plant for weeks and allegedly dumped weapons and war material there, which Moscow denies.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the power plant, increasing the risk of a nuclear disaster.
Since the Security Council last discussed the issue almost two weeks ago, “the nuclear security situation has continued to deteriorate,” said Nebenzya.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue shelling the area of the nuclear power plant (NPP) and the city of Enerhodar practically every day, and this creates a real risk of a radiation accident,” he said.
Sergiy Kyslytsia, Ambassador of Ukraine, countered that Russia bears responsibility for the risk and must withdraw its troops and allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the site.
“The only thing the whole world wants to hear … is a declaration that Russia will demilitarize the Zaporizhia NPP, withdraw its troops and hand it over to the government of Ukraine,” he said.
Kyslytsya said Kyiv supported a proposal for the IAEA to send a mission to inspect the facility and hoped it would create a permanent presence inside to monitor it full-time.
“It’s really important to carry out the mission in such a way that the international community can see the real situation and not a Russian theater show,” he said.
At the beginning of the meeting, UN Undersecretary of State Rosemary DiCarlo said both sides must agree to demilitarize the facility even if the war continues.
“The facility must not be used as part of a military operation and agreement should be reached on a secure perimeter of demilitarization to ensure the security of the area,” she said.
“We again call on the parties to allow the IAEA mission immediate, safe and unhindered access to the site,” she said.
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