"It is high time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures to protect this facility and others like it from any military operations," Mardini told reporters in Kiev, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.
The director-general also noted that the consequences of the strike on the ZNPP could be "catastrophic," according to the agency.
The Zaporozhye NPP, located on the left bank of the Dnieper River, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of the number of units and output. During the military operation in Ukraine, launched by Russia on February 24, the nuclear plant and surrounding area fell under the control of Russian forces. The NPP has recently been targeted by multiple shelling, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling.
On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission headed by Director General Rafael Grossi moved out of Kiev toward the Zaporozhye NPP. The mission includes about a dozen members of the IAEA secretariat dealing with issues of safeguards and nuclear safety. They are accompanied by a large team of UN staff involved in maintaining logistics and security. The inspection is expected to last until September 3.