Statement by Mr. Igor Vishnevetskii, Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation, at the 8th Plenary Meeting of the 10th NPT Review Conference
Mr. President,
Our delegation would like to take this opportunity to deliver an urgent message. Right during our meeting, alarming information is coming about the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP. Just two hours ago, the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the Zaporozhye NPP with large-caliber artillery. The shells hit the facility distributing electricity to the plant, which is fraught with the risk of its blackout.There is a fire in the area of the shelling as pipelines were damaged.
At the same time, the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the city of Energodar, several kilometers from the Zaporozhye NPP, where the plant's personnel live. It is still not known what the consequences of this shelling are and whether there are any human casualties. All of this is being figured out.
According to the information we receive in real time, repair crews cannot reach the scene of the fire as there is still a possibility of artillery shelling. The situation is extremely alarming, fraught with the risk of a man-made disaster at Europe's largest nuclear power plant. If the accident happens, it will be akin to Chernobyl. This situation concerns European states in the first place. In this connection, we would like to appeal to international organizations – the UN, the IAEA – as well as to countries that have an influence on the Kiev regime to take action so that the shelling of nuclear power plants stops immediately. Otherwise, the consequences will be hard to predict.
Thank you.
