The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, which has recently been the target of shelling and is held by Russia, has received a call for the creation of a security zone from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
After sending a team to the plant last week, the United Nations nuclear watchdog issued a report on Tuesday concluding that “the existing situation is unacceptable.”
The largest nuclear power station in Europe is under occupation, and as both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war trade accusations for shelling the facility, worries of a nuclear calamity have been raised.
“There is an urgent need for interim measures to prevent a nuclear accident arising from physical damage caused by military means,” the IAEA said.
“This can be achieved by the immediate establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone,” it said in its report.
“The IAEA recommends that shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities,” it said.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, who led the inspection visit, briefed the UN Security Council on the agency’s findings on Tuesday.
Prior to Grossi’s speech, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked that the militaries of Russia and Ukraine adhere to a “demilitarized perimeter” and to cease all military operations in the area of the facility.
According to Guterres, this would include “a commitment from Russian forces to remove all military people and equipment from that boundary and from Ukrainian forces to not deploy into it.”
Whether deliberate or not, he cautioned that damage to the facility “may mean catastrophe” for the surrounding area and beyond.
