UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for the creation of a safe perimeter around the Russian-captured Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and to stop any military actions around it.
This is stated in the address of the Secretary-General, which was published on the UN website.
"I have called on all stakeholders to exercise common sense and not to take any action that could jeopardize the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant," the statement said.
Guterres says that reports of shelling of the station are alarming and could lead to disaster. He insists on the complete withdrawal of military personnel and equipment, followed by a moratorium on the placement of troops at the ZNPP.
"It is necessary to urgently agree on a safe demilitarization perimeter at the technical level to ensure the security of the district. I call on the parties to grant the IAEA mission immediate, safe and unhindered access to the site," Gutterish said.
The Secretary Generalʼs statement never mentions Russia, whose troops control the ZNPP. He did not specify which "parties" he asked to provide access to the station besides the Russian one.
- On August 5, Russian troops shelled the industrial site of the ZNPP — they hit the high-voltage communication line of an autotransformer. After that, the station was hit by rocket systems of salvo fire. Due to this, the power unit was disconnected at the station. The nitrogen-oxygen station and the combined auxiliary building were seriously damaged. There was a risk of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances.
- On August 6, the Russians again bombarded the nuclear power plant — the rockets hit near the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel. Radiation monitoring sensors failed, and one station employee was injured.
- Ukrainian diplomats, politicians and scientists demand that the IAEA, the UN and the world community send a security mission to the NPP and achieve the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the plant and occupied Enerhodar. Scientists separately warned that the actions of Russian troops could lead to a disaster on the level of Chernobyl or Fukushima.
- On August 11, the Russians again shelled the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the nearby territories. In total, there were 10 "arrivals" — in the area of the commandantʼs office of the station and the fire station. No one was injured, but the "changeover" was disrupted due to shelling.