Russia rejects calls to demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant area
A Russian official said the move would further weaken the plant.
The calls come amid growing concern over security at the site – Europe’s largest nuclear plant – as both sides accuse each other of shelling in the area.
Ukrainian workers operate the plant, which has been under Russian control since March.
It was one of the first sites seized by Russian troops after the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lviv on Thursday.
Also Read:- India is buying Ukraine’s blood by buying crude oil from Russia: Report 18Aug 2022
“Any possible harm to Zaporizhzhya is suicide,” warned Mr Guterres.
Ukraine’s president urged the United Nations to ensure the demilitarization of Europe’s largest nuclear plant. Mr Guterres said that “the facility should not be used as part of any military operation”.
Mr Erdogan, echoing the UN chief’s concerns, told reporters he was concerned about the risk of “another Chernobyl” disaster at the plant.
Mr Zelensky has criticized the “deliberate” Russian attacks on the power plant.
Moscow is accused of turning the facility into an army base, with the three leaders urging the Russians to clear the area as soon as possible.
But Ivan Nechayev, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information and press department, declined the call.
Also Read:- China will send trops to Russia for joint military exercises: Report 17Aug 2022
“Their implementation will make the plant even more vulnerable,” Nechayev told reporters.
The appeals come as Ukrainian employees, who are working at the plant under Russian direction, warned of a possible nuclear devastation at the facility, saying it has become a “target of frequent military attacks” over the past two weeks.
“What is happening is appalling and beyond common sense and morality,” the staff wrote in a Telegram post (in Ukrainian).
Three of the four power supply lines connecting the plant to the Ukrainian national grid have been damaged by shelling and Ukraine’s nuclear regulator has warned that a complete loss of power supplies would mean “the nuclear fuel would begin to melt, which will result in the release of radioactive substances to the environment”.
Later on Thursday, an official Twitter channel used by the Ukrainian government said that members of Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, had left the facility “immediately”, and had announced an “unexpected day off”.
Also Read:- Ukraine claims strike at Russian paramilitary base in Melitopol: Report 16Aug 2022
Ukraine’s Information Security Center tweeted, “Ukrainian intelligence officials believe Russians are preparing provocations at [facility].”
“After their extensive shelling … [the Russian military] could ‘raise the stakes’ and launch a de facto terrorist attack on Europe’s largest nuclear facility,” it said.
The BBC has been unable to verify the claims.
However, despite concerns, the site is said to be far safer than the Chernobyl plant – the site of the worst nuclear incident in history.
The reactor is in a steel-reinforced concrete building that “can withstand extreme outdoor events, both natural and man-made, such as plane crashes or explosions,” experts told the BBC in March.
#russia rejects calls to demilitarize #russia rejects calls to demilitarize #russia rejects calls to demilitarize #russia rejects calls to demilitarize
Russia rejects calls to demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant area
Also Read:- 2 Assam Rifles jawans injured in insurgent attack in Nagaland: Report 15Aug 2022
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
[…] Russia rejects calls to demilitarize the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant area: Report… […]