UN proposal for Zaporozhie would allow Ukrainians to ruin everything, says Russian ambassador.
Russia's permanent ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said on Tuesday (6) that the proposal would directly affect the security that the Russian military is guaranteeing.
Sputnik - Russia has expressed concern over the proposal put forward by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to create a demilitarized zone around the Zaporozhie nuclear power plant.
Russia's permanent ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said on Tuesday (6) that the proposal would directly affect the security that the Russian military is guaranteeing.
"If we demilitarize, the Ukrainians will intervene immediately and ruin everything. We are protecting and defending the power plant," Nebenzya told reporters.
During a UN Security Council meeting, Nebenzya criticized the IAEA report for failing to identify the origin of the bombings at the plant.
"We regret that the source of the bombing is not named directly in your report," the diplomat stated. "It's important to call things by their name," he pointed out.
Instead of condemning the Ukrainian attacks, the document issued by the IAEA called for an immediate halt to hostilities, under the risk of affecting the operation of ZNPP systems.
The document states that if the plant is damaged, especially its critical equipment, radioactive materials could be released, causing a large-scale nuclear disaster.
Last Thursday (1st), a mission from the agency, led by Rafael Grossi, arrived at the nuclear power plant. The head of the delegation from the Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom and plant officials guided the IAEA team through the territory and showed the sections of the station that were damaged during the bombing by Ukrainian troops.
The Zaporozhie nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, is located in southeastern Ukraine, near the city of Energodar, and has been under the control of the Russian military since March.
Last week, Grossi explained that six IAEA employees will remain at the plant, following a visit by 14 technicians to the facilities. This number will be reduced to two next week, and these two would be a continuous presence of the agency on site.
Mikhail Ulyanov, the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, confirmed to Sputnik that two IAEA officials will remain permanently at the Zaporozhie nuclear power plant.
In recent weeks, Russia has accused Ukraine of daily bombing of the plant's facilities. Moscow also claims that its military presence in the ZNPP aims to prevent leaks of nuclear and radioactive materials.