Ukraine has called on international partners to increase pressure on Russia to demand the immediate demilitarization and de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) amid reports of IAEA team recording artillery shelling near the ZNPP. This was reported by UNN with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses deep concern regarding the latest data from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which once again confirm the cynical and irresponsible use of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by the Russian Federation as a military object and a "nuclear shield" to cover shelling of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
In his latest address on August 6, 2025, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reported a serious incident. The Agency's team of inspectors, while on the station's territory to inspect the spent nuclear fuel storage, recorded numerous artillery volleys emanating from the territory in the immediate vicinity of the ZNPP perimeter and lasting for over an hour.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that these actions are part of a conscious and systematic tactic of the Russian occupation forces. Hiding behind Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the aggressor strikes peaceful cities and villages of Ukraine, realizing that any military response in the direction of the station is limited due to the unprecedented risk of a nuclear catastrophe.
As a result of similar shelling in the past, critically important infrastructure has already been damaged, including several external power lines necessary to meet the ZNPP's own needs. This forced the station to rely on only one backup power line, which is a fragile and unreliable safety system. Each such incident brings us closer to the brink where a tragedy of continental scale could occur.
It is noted that Russia's actions are a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, in particular the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and the principles established by the IAEA. The creation of military positions on the territory of a nuclear facility and the conduct of hostilities from there is an act of nuclear terrorism that requires a decisive and consolidated response from the international community.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses gratitude to the IAEA and personally to Director General Rafael Grossi for their unwavering commitment to the principles of independent monitoring, objective documentation, and prompt informing of the world community about the real threats created by the Russian Federation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
We call on international partners to increase pressure on the Russian Federation with the demand for immediate demilitarization and de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and its return under the full control of the legitimate operator - Ukrainian "Energoatom".