In a statement issued by his spokesperson, António Guterres expressed alarm over the damaging escalation and the rising toll on civilians.
He reiterated that assaults in opposition to civilians and significant infrastructure are prohibited beneath worldwide regulation and referred to as for a direct and unconditional ceasefire.
“These strikes disrupted the ability provide to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant, as soon as once more underlining the continuing dangers to nuclear security,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated.
“The Secretary-Normal reiterates his name for a full, quick and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine as a primary step in direction of a simply, complete and sustainable peace, in keeping with the UN Charter, worldwide regulation and related UN resolutions.”
Fragile scenario
The airstrikes on Friday severed the nuclear plant’s final exterior energy connection, forcing the ZNPP to depend on emergency diesel mills for greater than three hours, according to the Worldwide Atomic Power Company (IAEA).
Energy was ultimately restored, however the incident marked the ninth time the plant has misplaced all off-site electrical energy for the reason that full-scale invasion started in 2022.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director Normal of the nuclear watchdog, warned that the scenario stays extraordinarily fragile.
“What was as soon as nearly unimaginable – {that a} main nuclear energy plant would repeatedly lose all of its exterior energy connections – has sadly grow to be a typical prevalence,” he stated.
Nuclear security deterioration
Positioned in southern Ukraine, the Zaporizhzhia plant is the most important nuclear energy facility in Europe. Though its six reactors have been in chilly shutdown since 2024, they nonetheless require electrical energy to chill reactor cores and spent gas swimming pools to stop overheating and potential radioactive launch.
Throughout the blackout, 18 diesel mills have been activated to take care of vital cooling features. The plant has sufficient diesel on website for not less than ten days, with contingency plans in place to safe additional provides if wanted, IAEA reported.
The ZNPP has grow to be dramatically extra weak for the reason that warfare started. Previous to the battle, it had entry to 10 exterior energy traces; it now depends on only one.
IAEA groups stay based mostly on the website and proceed to watch the scenario carefully.
