Russia has rejected UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ proposal to demilitarize the zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear plant, captured by Russian troops. The proposal to create a demilitarized zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is “unacceptable” as it would make the plant more vulnerable, Ivan Nechaev, deputy director of the information and press department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday. August 18th.

At the same time, he announced the agreement of the Russian Federation to allow experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enter the ZNPP. “We hope that in the very near future there will be a trip to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant by IAEA experts, which was fully agreed in June,” Nechaev said, quoted by TASS.

Risk of a nuclear incident in the ZNPP

In the West, they believe that Russia is actually preventing IAEA experts from visiting the ZNPP. Igor Vishnevetsky, deputy director of the Department of Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Aug. that would have to cross the front line. “Anything could happen if the IAEA delegation crossed the front line. For example, they would shoot at her or do something else against her. And to pass this off as a Russian provocation, these people are ready for anything” – Vishnevetsky explained. .

On August 17, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Moscow to urgently ensure that the plant is inspected by IAEA experts and to withdraw all Russian troops stationed there. The capture of the Ukrainian nuclear plant by Russian troops seriously threatens the safety of its operation and increases the risk of a nuclear accident or incident, which in turn poses a threat to the people of Ukraine, neighboring states and the world community, he said. . Guterres, who is currently visiting Lvov, made a proposal a week ago to demilitarize the ZNPP zone.

Russian troops took over the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in early March, after which Ukrainian personnel continued to work there. Since the end of July, the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been subjected to regular bombing, and there have also been reports in the media about it being mined by Russian troops. The IAEA also warned of the risk of a nuclear holocaust. A few days ago, the head of the international agency, Rafael Grossi, at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, demanded that IAEA experts be immediately authorized to enter the plant. The head of Ukrainian state-owned Energoatom, Petr Kotin, told DW that the Ukrainian side does not fully control the nuclear and radiological safety of the ZNPP.