Russia has rejected calls from the UN for a demilitarised zone around Europe's largest nuclear power station, which has been occupied by Moscow's forces since March and lies in a region of Ukraine that is set to become a frontline of the war.
Russia's permanent representative to the body, Vasyl Nebenzia, told Interfax yesterday that Moscow must "protect" the Zaporizhzhia plant. A withdrawal of its troops would make the facility "vulnerable ... to provocations and terrorist attacks", he said.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, had earlier called for all military personnel and equipment to be pulled out, saying the power station "should not be used as part of any military operations" and a demilitarised zone needed to be agreed.
Both the US and France backed Guterres' appeal. Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA international nuclear watchdog, said officials must visit the plant as soon as possible.
"This is a serious hour, a grave hour," Grossi told the UN security council.
Ukraine and Russia yesterday accused each other of risking nuclear catastrophe at the plant, which lies on the bank of a reservoir opposite several Ukrainian-held towns and cities that have come under intense shelling from the Russian-held side.
This story is from the August 13, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the August 13, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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