The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zakharova: Kiev takes the whole of Europe hostage, shooting at the Zaporozhye NPP
Ukraine is taking the whole of Europe hostage by shelling the Zaporozhye NPP, the Russian Foreign Ministry says. The ministry claims that the situation is getting worse every day - the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is firing at the operating reactors and the storage of spent nuclear fuel. For shelling, Ukrainian troops use the Hurricane MLRS and other weapons. Concern about the situation was also expressed by the head of the IAEA, who proposed sending international specialists to the station.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation claims that the authorities in Kiev are "taking the whole of Europe hostage", striking at the Zaporozhye NPP controlled by Russian troops. This is stated in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Russian diplomats also claim that "Ukrainians are aiming at themselves," pointing artillery at operating nuclear reactors and a nuclear waste storage facility.
"We cannot ignore the obvious: the situation is becoming more dangerous every day. We regularly send updated information to the IAEA "from the spot", which is reflected in the agency's information circulars, which clearly expose the criminal actions of the Ukrainian armed forces, whose command has finally lost the ability to think sensibly," said Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Moscow has long been calling on the international community on various lines and at different levels to strongly condemn the incessant military strikes that the "Kiev regime" is inflicting on the nuclear power plant, the Russian Foreign Ministry added, the situation is becoming more dangerous every day.
What's happening?
Since March, the Zaporizhia NPP has been under the control of the Russian military, while being managed by specialists of the Ukrainian operator Energoatom.
On the night of August 7, Ukrainian troops launched a strike from the multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) "Hurricane" on the territory of the NPP. The wreckage of the launched rocket landed 400 meters from the main power unit.
The head of the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mizintsev, declared the safety of the critical infrastructure of the Zaporozhye NPP thanks to the competent actions of the Russian army units.
Due to the shelling of the APU, a high-voltage line was damaged and a voltage surge occurred, causing smoke on an open switchgear. To prevent disruption of the plant, the technical staff had to reduce the capacity of the fifth and sixth power units to 500 megawatts.
In the event of a man-made disaster at a nuclear power plant, Nikopol, Zaporozhye, Krivoy Rog, as well as most of the western regions of Ukraine, will be in the radius of radiation damage in the first place.
Who is to blame and what to do
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the shelling was carried out by the military of the 44th Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the area of the settlement of Manganese, located on the opposite bank of the Kakhovsky reservoir.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, in turn, denies the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP by the Ukrainian armed forces, blaming the Russian side.
A representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said that Kiev "committed an act of nuclear terrorism" at energy infrastructure facilities.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said that the US authorities are calling on the Russian Federation to stop all military operations near Ukraine's nuclear facilities and return control over them to Kiev.
"Zelensky's regime should be recognized as a terrorist organization. The junta in Kiev has engaged in nuclear terrorism," said Andrei Klishas, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the attacks on the Zaporozhye NPP should stop. "Attacks on nuclear power plants are a suicidal act," he said. The Chairman of the World Organization expressed hope that the IAEA will be able to gain access to the power plant and use its competencies there.
Russia is ready to assist the leadership of the IAEA in organizing the visit of employees to the NPP, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, also told RIA Novosti.
The diplomat stressed that Moscow is interested in the IAEA receiving information about what is happening around the Zaporozhye NPP "taking into account the criminal actions of Kiev and the disinformation campaign launched by the Zelensky regime."
Peter Nikolaev
