russian invaders again threaten radiation safety at occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

In the occupied Enerhodar at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the russian military took passes from the personnel and entered the radiation zone of the power unit and once again violated the nuclear and radiation safety norms, exposing the personnel to the danger of radiation contamination.

The nuclear regulatory company overseeing all Ukrainian atomic plants, Energoatom, reports on Telegram.

"Yesterday, July 18, 2022, the russian invaders occupying the ZNPP forcefully took passes from two station employees and, using them, entered the 'dirty' overpass and into the radiation zone of unit #2 of the ZNPP.

Of course, they didn't care about security issues and violated all established norms and procedures for passing and staying in this zone.

There was neither special clothing nor prescribed preparatory procedures for staying in it," the message added.

Energoatom also stated that no one knows what the russian military could have brought into the premises and left there: weapons and explosives, "and this is already a direct threat to nuclear safety. Again!"

Energoatom will inform the IAEA and other competent authorities about another violation of nuclear and radiation safety," the institution emphasized.

Earlier, Ukraine urged the UN and the IAEA to find a way to liberate Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since russia's shelling near Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant poses a threat to the world's nuclear security.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine released the statement:

"The actions of the Russian nuclear terrorists at the ZNPP and in the temporarily occupied city of Enerhodar, constant missile attacks on the Ukrainian territory by Russia, in particular in the direction of this and other nuclear power plants, pose an unprecedented threat to nuclear security in Ukraine, Europe, and the whole world. Russia must strictly abide by the laws and customs of war, including those related to nuclear facilities," the statement said.

"We call on the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to redouble their efforts to find ways of liberating the ZNPP from Russian invaders as soon as possible, return it under the full control of Ukraine, restore station's security and elaborate effective modalities for dispatching to the ZNPP international experts' mission under the auspices of the IAEA / UN. In this regard, we count on active position of the partner States within the forthcoming meetings of the IAEA Board of Governors and IAEA General Conference," the ministry added.

We want to remind you that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been under the control of the russian military since March 4.

Currently, there are about 500 russian military men and a large number of their equipment on the station's territory. Moreover, it is from the station's territory that they shell Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region.

As Rubryka wrote, russian invaders were eliminated and wounded on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

Read Rubryka's daily timeline of war: current news on Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression.