Petro Kotin, the head of ‘Energoatom’ nuclear power company, stated that the creation of a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhia NPP captured by Russian troops, further demilitarization of the plant and its transfer under full Ukrainian control remain priority tasks for Ukraine and the entire international community.

‘The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, has been captured by Russian armed forces for more than a year. They actually turned the ZNPP into a military base, constantly violating all norms and principles of nuclear and radiation safety’, the Energoatom statement says.

Russian occupiers store weapons, explosives and heavy equipment in the engine rooms of the power units, control the station’s emergency infrastructure and filled with landmines the surrounding area and buildings.

In addition, Russian invaders do not allow IAEA personnel or inspectors into these zones. All this poses a direct threat to the nuclear security of Ukraine and the whole world.

‘The safety zone is the main condition for ensuring the nuclear safety of the whole world. We are grateful to the International Atomic Energy Agency for their continued support’, Kotin concluded.