IAEA member countries ask Russia to abandon the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

VIENNA, Sep. 16 (DPA/EP) –

The majority of member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a joint statement from Vienna on Thursday calling on Russia to abandon the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia.

According to the letter, the “military occupation” of the plant “significantly increases” the risk of a nuclear accident or incident, which “endangers the population of Ukraine, neighboring states and the international community.”

“The Russian Army and the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom must suspend all activities at the nuclear plant and return control to the Ukrainian authorities,” demanded the decision-making body, according to DPA.

Of the 35 countries represented on the body’s Board of Governors, 26 have voted in favor of the resolution, seven have abstained and another three have voted against, including Russia and China.

Russian and Ukrainian authorities have accused each other in recent weeks of endangering the Zaporizhia plant with artillery shelling, while the IAEA has sent an inspection mission to assess the situation.

The Zaporizhia plant is the largest in Europe and has six reactors commissioned between 1984 and 1995. It has been controlled by Russian forces since March this year, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.