Russia is resorting to criminal prosecution of employees of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada Dmitry Lubinets wrote about this on his Facebook page.
"Russian media report that representatives of their occupying forces detained two ZNPP employees for allegedly collaborating with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, the National Guard announced that there had been 26 such "violators since March," the Ombudsman noted.
He added that the detainees are accused of transmitting information about the movement and location of Russian military equipment across the ZNPP territory.
"The Russian military and political leadership do not hesitate to tell the world that they are carrying out nuclear terrorism and placing military equipment on the territory of the operating nuclear power plant," Lubinets stressed.
The Ombudsman stressed that no violations of the norms of Ukrainian legislation or international law are carried out by the nuclear power plant employees.
"This is a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, where Ukrainian nuclear scientists work, who are free to communicate with everyone who can ensure the preservation of the integrity of the nuclear power plant," he said.
Lubinets also added that despite the insane pressure exerted by the occupiers on the staff, the workers continued to do their work to prevent an environmental catastrophe.
He stressed that, due to the capture of the station by the Russians, the Zaporizhzhya NPP operates with the risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards.
"The invaders are detaining, torturing, and killing employees of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. This is not only a war crime against the civilian population but also a violation of the principles of nuclear safety, one of which is precisely the preservation of the integrity of the team responsible for the facility," the Ombudsman wrote.
He recalled that after the capture of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, its personnel became hostages and continue to work to this day. "Dozens of people were abducted, and their further fate is unknown," Lubinets stressed.
In particular, on August 3, a man with numerous bodily injuries in a coma was taken to the Energodar hospital.
"He turned out to be an employee of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, scuba diver Andrei Goncharuk. As a result of injuries received from a severe beating, because he did not want to cooperate with the occupiers, he died without coming out of a coma," the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada stated.
In addition, on August 14, because of the shelling of the city, the shop's foreman, Marko Maxim, died, and on August 23, the fitter of the thermal automation shop, Vladislav Mitin, died from his injuries.
"I, as the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, once again call on the UN Secretary-General, the IAEA and the entire world community to expedite the direction of the security mission to the Zaporizhzhia NPP, demilitarize the territory of the facility and provide security guarantees for ZNPP and its personnel to service the plant. Persecution of workers should stop, because each of them fulfills its important mission for the safe operation of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, so as not to provoke a nuclear incident that could have significant catastrophic environmental consequences," summed up Lubinets.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency should take control of the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP as soon as possible.
