Ukraine at UN Calls for Immediate Cessation of Hostilities Near Nuclear Facilities

Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko, at a UN headquarters event on nuclear safety and the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, emphasized the urgent need to cease hostilities near nuclear facilities. He stressed that Russia's criminal war poses unprecedented challenges to nuclear safety, citing incidents at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) and threats to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

Mishenko recalled a deliberate Russian drone strike on the CNPP that damaged the new safe confinement. He stated that any damage to such facilities could negate decades of international efforts in nuclear safety, and the spread of radiation risks knows no borders. Chornobyl, he noted, laid the groundwork for key international nuclear safety mechanisms, including an early warning system for accidents and cooperation with the IAEA.

Since the full-scale invasion, Russians have attacked substations critical to nuclear safety in Ukraine 155 times. On April 26, Ukraine signed an agreement with the EBRD for 30 million euros for the first phase of restoring the protective structure at the Chornobyl NPP. The EU also urged Russia to stop attacks on nuclear facilities in Ukraine.