Ukraine foreign ministry urges international community to force Russia to withdraw its forces from Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant

Kyiv [Ukraine], March 4 (ANI): Ukrainian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the shelling and seizure of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) site by the Russian Federation and called on the international community to force Russia to withdraw its armed forces from the power plant.
In a statement on a Facebook post, the ministry said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the shelling and seizure of the Zaporizhzhya NPP site in the town of Energodar by the occupying armed forces of the Russian Federation."
"We call on our partners to take urgent steps to force Russia to withdraw its armed forces from the nuclear power plant and create a security zone," the statement reads.
"As a result of the shelling on the territory of the nuclear power plant, a fire broke out, killing and injuring several people. The fire has now been extinguished," it said.
It said that the Zaporizhzhya NPP site, as well as the Chernobyl NPP, are currently under the control of Russian armed forces.
It warned that if the cooling of the nuclear fuel within the Zaporizhzhya plant is disturbed, it could cause radioactive damage and have "irreparable consequences for Europe's environment".
"If, at any point, the cooling process is disturbed, this could cause radioactive damage across large territories and have irreparable consequences for Europe's environment. Thousands of people - including civilians who are currently unable to evacuate the area near the plant due to ongoing shelling and fighting - would be hurt by this," it added.
In addition to the six power units at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, there is a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel on-site. Any damage to this facility can also lead to a nuclear radiation release.
As a result, a nuclear disaster of this scale may exceed all previous accidents at nuclear power plants, including Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disasters.
The ministry added that it was disappointed by the reaction of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and demanded "clear and decisive action" from the UN atomic agency.
"We are disappointed by the reaction of the IAEA, whose statement did not go far enough to include any mention of the attacking side. We demand clear and decisive action from the IAEA."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on the international community to strongly condemn the actions of the Russian occupiers, which could lead to an unprecedented nuclear catastrophe.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has already instructed Ukrainian diplomatic missions to start urgent contacts with partners, in particular through the IAEA, in order to prepare an international response to Russia's aggression of the Russian Federation against nuclear infrastructure.
Employees of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant are monitoring the condition of power units and ensuring their operation in accordance with the requirements of technical regulations for safe operation. The radiation background is currently within the norm.
Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that the site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) had been shelled overnight and Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi immediately spoke with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as well as the country's national nuclear regulator and operator about the serious situation. (ANI)