This week, Russia, which systematically violates international humanitarian law and nuclear safety norms, resorted to further manipulations, attempting to portray itself as a "victim" and accuse Ukraine of alleged provocations against nuclear safety.
The cynicism of Russia's accusations lies in the fact that this week, Russia committed another war crime—massive strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries, as well as damage to our country's energy system.
Russian strikes on power generation facilities caused the disconnection of the first, third, and fourth power units of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant from the grid. The capacity of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant was forcibly reduced to 1800 MW, and later, due to fluctuations caused by the Russian attack, its third power unit was disconnected from the grid.
The consequences of this week's strikes on Ukraine's energy sector are just the latest in a long list of Russia's crimes.
Let us recall that it was Russian forces who captured the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. On March 4, 2022, Russian occupiers shelled it with tanks, destroying the training and education building and causing a fire on the station's territory.
In September of the same year, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi personally saw the remnants of a rocket in the satellite city of Enerhodar, which had come from territories occupied by Russia.
Photos and videos confirming the presence of Russian occupation army personnel on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the placement of weapons and military equipment in the machine halls of the plant, only underscore the fact that Russia does not deem it necessary to follow not only the norms and customs of war but also the most essential rules for ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities.
The IAEA mission, which has been at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at Ukraine's request since September 2, 2022, has repeatedly recorded the presence of Russian military equipment and ammunition directly on the station's premises. IAEA experts have personally seen Russian munitions, which pose a direct threat that Russia has created to nuclear safety.
In the course of the war it started, Russia has blatantly violated the seven pillars of IAEA nuclear safety, as well as the five safety principles for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which can be applied to any other station.
The only threat to Europe's nuclear safety is Russia's aggression against our state.
Under these circumstances, the aggressor state has intensified its disinformation campaign to divert attention from its criminal actions at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The IAEA is once again debunking Russian fake claims about Ukraine allegedly developing a so-called "dirty bomb" and other fabrications of Russian propaganda. Ukraine has been and remains committed to the norms and principles of nuclear safety.
To avoid risks and threats to nuclear safety, what is needed today is, above all, the implementation of the first point of the Peace Formula, which was supported by one hundred countries and international organizations during the first Peace Summit, as well as the return of control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to its legitimate owner, Ukraine, as provided for in numerous IAEA resolutions.
