Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been a cause for international concern since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Moscow’s forces approached the site a few days later, sparking a standoff with Ukrainian resistance—and fears the facility could be critically damaged,.
In early March, Russian forces captured the sprawling plant, which has retained a workforce of Ukrainian engineers who have kept it running.
However, both Russia and Ukraine have accused the other of firing at the facility, with shelling intensifying last week. Newsweek has contacted the two governments for comment.
Addressing the Security Council on Tuesday, China’s UN ambassador Geng Shuang called the recent shelling “disconcerting” and said there was “no room for trial and error” at the plant.
“Any single incident could lead to a serious nuclear accident with irreversible consequences for the ecosystem and public health of Ukraine and its neighboring countries,” Geng said.
“We must not allow the tragedies of Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents to be repeated.”
Geng called for a de-escalation and said the international community should “guide the parties back to dialogue and negotiation.”
He also expressed support for an International Atomic Energy Agency visit as soon as possible so the situation can be independently assessed.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the IAEA, has stressed the urgent need for a visit, following shelling over the weekend that damaged plant infrastructure.
“These incidents show why the IAEA must be able to send a mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant very soon,” Grossi said in a statement posted on the agency’s website on Tuesday.
“The IAEA’s presence will help stabilise the nuclear safety and security situation at the site and reduce the risk of a severe nuclear accident in Europe.”
It is expected that an IAEA visit could take place in a matter of days.
Nuclear power experts have also expressed concern that tense conditions and stressed Ukrainian staff at the plant could make a case of human error more likely.
“When a person is calm, he makes better decisions. In a state of tension or fear, a person makes mistakes,” Dmytro Gortenko, a human resources executive who worked in the plant’s administration building, told The New York Times.
Grossi told PBS News Hour the situation at Zaporizhzhia was “an absolutely unthinkable situation for any normal nuclear power plant.”
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the conflict in Ukraine has led to the deaths of 5,587 civilians from February 24 to August 21. This figure includes more than 350 children.
