Russia urges world community to react to Ukraine's attack on ZNPP
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Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna calls the strike a violation of the IAEA's five principles for facility safeguarding.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's annual news conference in Moscow on January 18, 2023. (AP)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated Sunday that the world community must respond to Ukraine's recent drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station (ZNPP), which she described as "an act of nuclear terrorism."
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's kamikaze drones targeted the ZNPP premises just after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted an inspection, the plant's press department said.
According to a statement, the drone strike was "recorded in the canteen sector located on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. A truck unloading food was damaged...Another strike was recorded in the cargo port."
The incident occurred 20 minutes after IAEA officials examined the nuclear power station, the statement added.
According to Russian state nuclear firm Rosatom, the attack harmed three site personnel, one of whom sustained critical injuries.
Zakharova wrote on Telegram that the world should realize this was an "Act of nuclear terrorism" and react to it.
Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, called the strike a violation of the IAEA's five principles for facility safeguarding.
BREAKING! On April 7 the Ukrainian Armed Forces undertook a number of attacks with kamikaze drones against the #ZNPP, incl. against its nuclear reactors 5 and 6. 3 persons were wounded. It is a clear violation of the “5 concrete principles”, announced by the #IAEA DG in the UNSC
— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) April 7, 2024
Rosatom urged the IAEA leadership, Director General Rafael Grossi, and European Union leaders to "immediately respond to a direct threat to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and categorically condemn the attempt to escalate the situation around Europe's largest nuclear power plant."
On his part, Grossi described the attack on the nuclear power plant as a violation of nuclear security principles and called for an end to such "reckless attacks".
The IAEA confirmed minor damage to the 6th power unit of the plant as a result of drone attacks.
"This is a clear violation of the basic principles for protecting Europe’s largest NPP. Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately," Grossi was quoted as saying in the IAEA statement.
