UN resolution: Russia should evacuate Zaporizhia nuclear power plant immediately
The General Assembly adopted a resolution tabled by Ukraine calling on Russia to evacuate the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant immediately.
Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant with cooling pond.
(Image: IAEA / Fredrik Dahl)
The United Nations General Assembly is calling on Russia to withdraw its military and personnel from the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia. The nuclear power plant must be returned to Ukrainian control immediately, according to a resolution adopted on Thursday (PDF). The draft resolution was submitted to the UN General Assembly by Ukraine and supported by over 50 countries, including Germany. 99 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 9 against - including Nicaragua, North Korea and Eritrea in addition to Russia and Belarus - and 60 countries abstained. The resolution is not binding under international law.
(Image:Â UN)
Serhiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN, explained that Russia had deliberately made the nuclear power plant in the south of his country part of its military strategy. An incident at the nuclear power plant could have serious consequences, "radiation knows no borders".
IAEA remains concerned
Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky found that the draft resolution was highly politicized and had nothing to do with nuclear safety. He criticized the fact that all amendments to the resolution had been rejected. As on previous occasions, the Russian side accused the Ukrainian side of being the "real threat" to the nuclear power plant and of ruthlessly attacking the power plant and its infrastructure.
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With the resolution, the UN General Assembly supports the mandate of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor events at the nuclear power plant. Russia occupied it at the beginning of March 2022, IAEA experts inspected the power plant for the first time at the beginning of September that year and representatives of the organization have been on site ever since.
The nuclear power plant was cut off from the power supply several times and the site was also shelled. On Thursday, the IAEA expressed concern about attacks with drones and other military actions in the area. There were water shortages, forest fires and temporary power cuts, caused for example by damage to a substation in the nearby town of Enerhodar and shelling of a water pumping station.
(anw)
