MOSCOW: By supporting Ukrainian strikes on nuclear facilities, Western countries are violating numerous international agreements that they t...
MOSCOW: By supporting Ukrainian strikes on nuclear facilities, Western countries are violating numerous international agreements that they themselves previously signed, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told TASS.
"Just try to understand what goes on inside madmen’s mind and draw conclusions at the same time about what they are thinking about when they boldly violate a wide range of international norms, particularly those regarding peaceful nuclear energy and radiation safety," he said in an interview with TASS.
"All of this was stipulated by a number of agreements that were inked by the states that have nuclear power and possess nuclear weapons. These countries are signatories to the required conventions and are the IAEA [the International Atomic Energy Agency] active participants. But here we are," he continued.
Miroshnik cited as an example the current developments regarding the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
"To begin with, the Ukrainian side actually denied the chief of the largest international organization, the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, the opportunity to simply pay a visit to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, saying ‘Sorry, we cannot provide security for you’," he noted.
"At the same time, Russia provided security guarantees, but Ukraine failed to guarantee that they would not deliver strikes. As a result, this person’s visit was simply cancelled as, according to the protocol, he cannot visit the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant under such conditions," Miroshnik added.
The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Energodar have repeatedly come under attack by the Ukrainian army. On July 15, Ukrainian forces attacked a Zaporozhye NPP service vehicle with a drone, killing Chief Engineer Alexander Yakovlev and the driver.
Then, on July 18, a Ukrainian drone hit an area near a bus stop in Energodar, where people were waiting for transportation to work. One person was killed and 20 were wounded, the majority of them Zaporozhye NPP employees.
The Zaporozhye NPP is located on the shores of the Kakhovka Reservoir in Energodar. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, with six power units capable of producing a combined 6 GW of electricity.
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