IAEA Council calls on Russia to return Zaporizhzhya NPP to Ukraine's control
On Thursday, the Board of Governors of the IAEA, by a majority of votes, supported the Ukrainian resolution demanding that Russia urgently remove all unauthorized personnel, including military personnel, from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and immediately return it to the control of Ukraine, reported the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
The resolution was supported by 20 countries, two delegations voted against (Russia and China), 12 abstained.
"The Russian Federation openly demonstrates hostility towards the agency and deliberately undermines confidence in the non-proliferation system. By supporting the resolution drafted by Ukraine today, countries will send a clear signal to Russia to stop its illegal activities. A vote for this resolution demonstrates the commitment of the IAEA and the need to return safety to Europe's largest nuclear power plant. The future development of atomic energy in the world can be stopped even by any minor accident at the Zaporizhzhya NPP," said the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the IAEA, Minister of Energy German Halushchenko.
The approved document expresses serious concern about the unstable state of nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, the lack of properly qualified personnel at the site, gaps in the implementation of planning and preventive works, the lack of reliable supply chains, the vulnerable state of water supply, external power supply, and the installation of anti-personnel mines in the buffer zone between the internal and the external perimeter of the installation.
This is the fourth resolution of the Board of Governors of the IAEA condemning Russia's actions regarding Ukrainian nuclear facilities. The first was adopted in March 2022, the day before Russia seized the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the last in November 2022.
On September 28, 2023, Ukraine was elected to the governing body of the IAEA.
