Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, Herman Halushchenko, called on all IAEA member countries to unite efforts and provide a strong and unanimous response to the Russian Federation for its criminal attacks on civilian energy infrastructure and its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
"Over the past year, Ukraine has endured unprecedented Russian attacks on the energy system, causing serious destruction and damage. We have lost the lives of our brave soldiers who defended our country, the lives of our energy workers who restored energy equipment after Russian attacks and ensured the reliable operation of nuclear power plants, and the lives of peaceful residents and children — the future of Ukraine. But we continue to stand and resist this 21st-century evil," stated Herman Halushchenko during his speech at the 68th IAEA General Conference in Vienna.
According to him, while the whole world is moving toward sustainable development, advancing nuclear technologies, and commissioning new nuclear generating capacities, Russia is barbarically destroying Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, continuing the militarization of the station and the surrounding occupied territories. They are using it as cover for artillery strikes on territories and settlements controlled by Ukraine, thereby violating the fundamentals of nuclear safety and all principles of protection.
"How much longer will we witness Russia's deliberate violations of the IAEA Statute, its repeated and conscious disregard for IAEA Board of Governors and General Conference resolutions? Russia does not deserve a privileged status within the Agency and its Board of Governors. It is deliberately creating unprecedented nuclear danger and insecurity," the Minister emphasized.
Herman Halushchenko thanked the IAEA and Director General Rafael Grossi personally for the prompt implementation of the recent decision to start monitoring missions at Ukrainian substations, which are critically important for nuclear power plants.
He reminded that during the most recent massive attack on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure on August 26, Russia used 236 strike means, including 127 missiles and 109 drones. The attack targeted, among other things, generation facilities, power lines, and substations that are critical to Ukraine's nuclear power plants.
The Minister of Energy stressed that everything must be done to prevent any military threat to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the future.
