United Nations: The UN nuclear chief warned on Thursday that "very alarming" military activity at Europe's largest nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine could lead to dangerous consequences for the region and called for an end to combat actions there.
Rafael Grossi urged Russia and Ukraine, who blame each other for the attacks at the plant, to immediately allow nuclear experts to assess damage and evaluate safety at the Zaporizhzhia facility.
Grossi demanded a halt to military actions "that have even the smallest potential to jeopardise nuclear safety" at such an important installation.
His appeal echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call earlier on Thursday for an end to all military activity around the Zaporizhzhia plant, warning that any damage could lead to "catastrophic consequences" in the vicinity, the region and beyond.
Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), gave a virtual briefing to the UN Security Council at a meeting called by Russia to discuss what Moscow claims were Ukrainian attacks on the plant.
While the plant is controlled by Russia, its Ukrainian staff continues to run the nuclear operations. It is in Enerhodar, a city seized by Russian troops in early March soon after they invaded Ukraine.
Grossi said statements received from Russia and Ukraine "are frequently contradicted" and the IAEA cannot corroborate important facts unless its experts visit Zaporizhzhia.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that "Kyiv's criminal attacks on nuclear infrastructure are pushing the world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe".
He accused Ukrainian armed forces in recent days of repeatedly using heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems to shell the Zaporizhzhia plant, including on Thursday.
"The background radiation at the nuclear power plant at the moment is within limits, but if the strikes continue, it is only a question of time," Nebenzia warned.
"We call on states that support the Kyiv regime to bring their proxies into check to compel them to immediately and once and for all
stop attacks."