Russia has repeatedly rejected calls to create a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The occupation of such a facility by military equipment and personnel as well as constant provocative shelling poses serious risks of explosions and a nuclear catastrophe that could affect not only Ukraine but many countries beyond, including the aggressor.
In the best traditions of terrorists, on September 30, the Russian forces kidnapped Ihor Murashov, Director General of the ZNPP, likely to force him into the ”legal” process of transferring control of the ZNPP to Rosatom. Russia thus seeks to exploit its control of the ZNPP to pressure the IAEA to legitimize the illegal Russian annexations of occupied Ukrainian territory by coercing it to acknowledge Russia‘s legal control over the ZNPP, the Institute for the Study of War says.
The security of the ZNPP will continue to be under threat while the Russian forces remain on the territory of the plant. The IAEA and the world must put more pressure on Russia and increase their sanctions to stop Russian nuclear terrorism.