Zakharova: Kiev's takes Europe hostage by attacking Zaporozhye NPP
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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova argues that Kiev's attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant endanger the people of Ukraine, Russia, and all of Europe.
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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that heightened activity from Ukrainian forces made the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) increasingly dangerous. Zakharova added that Kiev, through targeting the facility, is holding all of Europe hostage.
On August 4, the deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry's non-proliferation and arms control department, Igor Vishnevetsky, stated that Russia was willing to assist the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with a potential visit to the ZNPP, but the United Nations Secretariat refused to approve such a visit.
Zakharova argued that Russia called on the international community to condemn the dangerous actions of Kiev's forces against the ZNPP, however, this did not take place and the attacks were further renewed on Friday and Saturday, August 5 and 6, respectively. The strikes were to result in dangerous consequences had it not been for the “skillful and prompt actions" of the facility's workers in accordance with the "comprehensive protection" offered by the Russian forces stationed there.
Zakharova advised that “We can’t ignore the obvious: every day the situation becomes more and more dangerous,” emphasizing that Russia frequently sends updated information “from the ground” to the IAEA, providing substantial proof of the “criminal actions of the Ukrainian armed forces, the command of which has finally lost the ability to think sensibly.”
According to the spokesperson, Ukrainians “have apparently lost the basic instinct of self-preservation. After all, by pointing artillery at the operating reactors and the storage of spent nuclear fuel, the Ukrainians are aiming at themselves.”
Furthermore, the spokesperson made it clear that these actions do not only target the people of Ukraine and Russia but also take the whole of Europe hostage, pointing out that Ukraine “apparently won’t hesitate to burn it for the sake of their Nazi idols.”
Earlier on August 8, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated to reporters that Ukrainian forces have been accused by the Kremlin of shelling the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, warning of potential "catastrophic consequences" for Europe.
Peskov also stated that "The shelling of the territory of the nuclear plant by the Ukrainian armed forces is a potentially extremely dangerous activity... fraught with catastrophic consequences for a vast area, including the territory of Europe."
Amnesty: Kiev endangers civilians
Rights group Amnesty International stood its ground as it defied the public outcry it has faced over its report saying Ukraine is endangering civilians.
A press release issued on Thursday saw Amnesty International accusing the authorities in Kiev of endangering civilians by setting up army bases in residential areas. The press release saw the organization subjected to a slew of attacks, with many parties saying it was promoting the Russian narrative against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attacked the agency, accusing it of seeking to shift "the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim."
According to the organization, Kiev has been operating weapons out of bases established in residential areas in the presence of civilians, which breaches rule 23 of Article 58(b) of Additional Protocol I that separates military objectives and civilian populations.
