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Updated August 10th, 2022 at 15:19 IST

Russia urges UN Security Council to hold meeting over 'Ukraine’s shelling of NPP'

Russia-Ukraine war: Russia has requested the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to hold a briefing on "Ukraine's latest attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP."

Reported by: Amrit Burman
Russia
Image: AP/Representative | Image:self
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Amid escalating conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, a Russian official has requested that the UN Security Council hold a briefing on Ukraine's latest attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP on August 11. "Russia requested a UN Security Council briefing to be held in the afternoon of August 11 in connection with Ukraine’s latest attacks on the Zaporizhzhia NPP and their possible catastrophic consequences," a source in Russia’s mission to the UN told TASS news agency.

Russia has sought the intervention of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, who is to make a report on the issue. For the past week, Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine has been subjected to a series of shellings, with both the Kremlin and Ukrainian forces blaming each other for the attacks.

Russia requests UNSC to hold meeting over 'Ukraine’s shelling of NPP'

Russia has claimed that Ukrainian forces have repeatedly launched targeted attacks hitting the Zaporizhzhia NPP, a sensitive area known as the largest nuclear power plant in Europe with at least six operating reactors. On August 7, the military-civilian administration of Energodar city, located in the north-western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine, accused Ukrainian forces of launching a 220 mm Uragan rocket with a cluster warhead. The Russian officials said that Ukraine's strike has damaged the station's administrative buildings and the repository’s adjacent territory. The Ukrainian military bombarded the Zaporzhye NPP on August 5 and 6, claimed the local authorities.

Recently, Energoatom, a Ukrainian company operating all four nuclear power stations averred that Russian forces have bombarded Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant to disconnect it from Ukraine’s energy system. The state-run nuclear company also called for cooperative actions of security organisations, including the UN, IAEA, and WANO to deter Russia from further attacking Europe's largest nuclear facility and its complete demilitarisation.

Who controls Zaporizhzhia NPP?

The Zaporrihzhia power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. It was captured by Russian forces in the opening stages of the war. Reports claim that the power plant is still run by Ukrainian workers and it operates at 70% capacity as the region has a high supply of electric power and the Kremlin plans to direct part of the electricity generated at the Zaporizhzhia NPP to Crimea.

(Image: AP/Representative)

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Published August 10th, 2022 at 15:19 IST

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