In response to reports of shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southeast Ukraine, diplomats called for an end to fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces so that UN inspectors can visit the facility, according to a report by The Washington Post.
An attack on a nuclear plant would be "suicidal," according to UN chief António Guterres, who also requested that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, are given entry to Zaporizhzhia.
This picture shows the blast furnace at Zaporizhstal, Ukraine's third-biggest metals plan, in Zaporizhzhia on May 10, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. - Food and water stockpiles, generators, toilets, stacks of mattresses and even wood-burning stoves in bunkers deep underground this Ukrainian steel mill was built with the threat of war in mind.
Biggest Nuclear Facility in Europe
Several explosions struck the plant on Friday, resulting in damages and partially cutting off a reactor from Ukraine's power system. The facility houses six nuclear reactors and is considered the biggest of its kind in Europe. Fortunately, there was no radioactive leak reported.
The Russians currently control the complex, but according to Washington Post, it is still operated by Ukrainian staff.
IAEA director Rafael Grossi issued a statement over the weekend stating that the shelling increased the very real potential of a "nuclear disaster" that might endanger the environment and public health in Ukraine.
"Military action jeopardizing the safety and security of the Zaporizhzya nuclear power plant is completely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs."
"Any military firepower directed at or from the facility would amount to playing with fire, with potentially catastrophic consequences," Grossi added.
He appealed to both conflicting forces to uphold "restraint" within the vicinity of the nuclear plant and condemned the "violent acts" that were deployed against the Zaporizhzya and its staff.
Russia and Ukraine Agree On IAEA Inspection
Both forces blamed each other for the explosions. Russia claims that Ukraine has carried out its strikes in the area, but Ukraine has also accused Moscow of using the facility as a shield for artillery and rocket attacks.
Moscow stated on Monday that it would permit IAEA inspectors access to the site, but it provided no information on how it would make this possible. The IAEA estimates that Ukraine's 15 operational reactors, six of which are in Zaporizhzhia, are responsible for nearly half of the nation's electricity.
Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, also stated to The Washington Post that Kyiv is in favor of a U.N. team arriving at the nuclear facility.
However, experts suggest that the site must be demilitarized first before the inspection occurs.
But Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky also urged the international community to hold Russia responsible for the attack on the nuclear power plant.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
