Nikolay Azarov, a former Ukrainian prime minister, claims that the current authorities in Kiev are putting the nuclear security of the whole continent at risk by "destroying nuclear facilities" without considering the consequences. He also argues that Kiev's stance is putting the safe operation of nuclear power plants in Ukraine in jeopardy, thus increasing the likelihood of accidents.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has said Russian control of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is to prevent nuclear and radioactive material leaks. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has argued that the Kiev regime is deliberately shelling the facility in order to create the appearance of a nuclear catastrophe threat. The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the creation of a safety zone around it.
Earlier in the month, it was reported that a drone belonging to Ukrainian militants crashed in close proximity to the ZNPP. The drone was identified as a Polish-made Warmate carrying a two-kilogram explosive munition.
The ZNPP is located on the left bank of the Dnepr River near the city of Energodar. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of the number of units and installed capacity, with six power units each generating one gigawatt of electricity. In October 2022, the nuclear power plant came under the ownership of the Russian Federation, and since then has regularly been a target of Ukrainian forces.