Zaporizhia: 42 countries call on Russia to hand over the nuclear plant to the Ukrainian authorities

Dozens of countries and the EU have called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

“The fact that Russian military personnel and weapons are stationed at the nuclear facility is unacceptable,” stressed a joint press release of the 42 countries and the EU, released by the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The deployment of Russian military and weaponry at the plant “defies the security” and “principles that all member states of the IAEA” of the International Atomic Energy Agency are committed to uphold, the statement said.

In addition to EU member states, the demand for the Russian military to leave the facility is also endorsed by the US, Britain, Norway, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and several other countries.

“We urge the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its military forces and all other unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant and the surrounding area” and “from all over Ukraine” so that “the operating company and the Ukrainian authorities can to reassume their responsibilities for it within internationally recognized Ukrainian borders,” it said.

“This will also allow the IAEA to proceed with verifications of Ukraine’s compliance with its responsibilities for the safety (operation of the facility) in a safe and timely manner,” added the text, which warns against the risk of “nuclear accidents and incidents.” .

Ukraine and Russia have been accusing each other of bombing the facility for several days.

“Dangers are increasing every day”

The dangers surrounding the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant are “increasing every day”, the mayor of Engerkondar, the city where the plant is located, said yesterday.

“The risks are increasing every day,” Mayor Dmytro Orlov told AFP by phone, adding that the shootings at the station happened daily, while denouncing Russia’s “clear nuclear terrorism” that “can end unpredictably at any time.”

The nuclear plant receives mortar fire “every day and night from the occupied villages”, he added, explaining that “the situation is serious and the most worrying thing is that there is no de-escalation process”.

Energondar, like the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, has been occupied since the beginning of March by Russian troops. Loyal to Kyiv, Dmytro Orlov took refuge in Zaporizhia, the region’s major city.

According to him, the city of Ergondar began to be shelled in the last 24 hours, “something that had never happened before” and today a 45-year-old civilian was killed.

With information from AMPE-MEP