March 4 – The United States and its allies have strongly criticized Russia at the UN on Friday for shelling and capturing Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine overnight, and some have urged Moscow not to allow such an attack to happen again.
Many of the Security Council’s 15 envoys expressed “serious concern” and shock, warning of the possibility of a repeat of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster – a nuclear accident in Ukraine when it was part of the then-Soviet Union, considered the most the heaviest in history.
They said the attack was contrary to international humanitarian law and called on Moscow to refrain from any military operations targeting nuclear facilities and to allow Ukrainian personnel to be admitted to the plant to carry out their work.
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“The world prevented a nuclear catastrophe last night,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council convened after the capture of Zaporozhye’s nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine by Russian troops.
“Russia’s attack last night put Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at serious risk. It was incredibly reckless and dangerous. And it threatened the safety of civilians in Russia, Ukraine and Europe,” said Thomas Greenfield.
When shells hit the area early Friday, a fire broke out in a training building, sparking a worldwide alarm before the fire was put out and authorities said the facility was safe. Read more
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergei Kislitsya, has called for all Russian forces to withdraw from the headquarters and a no-fly zone over the country to protect civilians from airstrikes.
Overview of the UN Security Council meeting after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the UN headquarters in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, February 28, 2022. REUTERS / Carlo Allegri
Officials remained troubled by uncertain circumstances, with Ukrainian personnel working under Russian control on battlefield conditions beyond the reach of administrators.
“France strongly condemns this attack on the integrity of the nuclear structure that we must guarantee,” Nicolas de Riviere said in a speech. “The results of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine are likely to be devastating to human health and the environment,” he added.
The UK’s ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, said: “This must not happen again. Even in the midst of an illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia must continue to fight far and defend the safety and security of nuclear facilities.”
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described the situation as “normal operations, but there is nothing normal about it”.
Thousands are estimated to have been killed or injured, and more than 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24. Western nations have responded with sanctions that have plunged Russia into economic isolation.
Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, dismissed Western noise over the nuclear power plant and called Friday’s Security Council meeting another attempt by Ukrainian authorities to create “artificial hysteria.”
“Currently, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the surrounding area are guarded by Russian troops,” he said.
Separately, France and Mexico are working on a resolution to the UN Security Council next week that will address the humanitarian impact of the Russian invasion, diplomats said.
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Report by Humeirah Cotton and Doina Chiaku in Washington Editing by Grant McCool
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