06/23/2023 00:56 (act. 06/23/2023 00:56)
Nuclear power is in Russia’s hands ©APA/AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his accusations of terrorism against Moscow and called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “Complete evacuation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is necessary,” he said in his daily video message late on Thursday. The world must increase pressure on Moscow to avoid a nuclear catastrophe.
Zelenskyy repeated the accusation that Moscow was planning an attack on the nuclear power plant occupied by Russian troops, which then cynically “hopes to hide under this or that catastrophe.” He informed representatives of major Western industrialized nations (G7) and industrialized and emerging countries (G20) as well as international organizations about the danger. Radioactivity knows no neutrality, he told countries that have yet to take a stand in the conflict.
Zelenskyy has not provided concrete evidence for his accusations against Moscow. Instead, he referred to the destruction of the Kachowka Dam. After it was damaged, the Kakhovka reservoir was depleted and large parts of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine were flooded. Kiev and the West hold Moscow responsible for this. Russia denies blowing the dam.
Shortly after the start of the war against Ukraine ordered by the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, on February 24, 2022, Russian troops quickly occupied large parts of southern Ukraine, including important infrastructure objects such as the Kakhovka dam and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The situation around the nuclear power plant, which is close to the front and was partly under fire, has recently raised concerns about a nuclear catastrophe. An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) observation mission is on site. Kiev has already accused Moscow of laying mines at the facility.