The Ministry of Energy welcomes the introduction by the United States of America of a new package of sanctions against russia, in particular against those directly involved in the illegal management of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
“I welcome the U.S. decision to impose sanctions against the occupation administration of Zaporizhzhia NPP and subsidiaries of rosatom. Every day of the occupation of ZNPP brings the world closer to a catastrophe, and the only way to guarantee the safe operation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is to return it to the legal control of Ukraine as soon as possible,” wrote Minister of Energy German Galushchenko on his Facebook page.
He added that Ukraine continued to work on expanding sanctions to cover the entire nuclear industry of the aggressor country.
As a reminder, the IAEA has repeatedly called on russia to de-occupy ZNPP and return the plant to Ukrainian control. The Agency has testified that the russians, who deployed their military personnel and equipment at ZNPP, violated all seven basic pillars of nuclear and radiation safety.
Representatives of the IAEA’s permanent mission are present at the temporarily occupied plant, but their capabilities are quite limited, and the russians are blocking physical access of international experts to a number of facilities at the plant.
During the occupation, Zaporizhzhia NPP has already experienced blackouts 8 times.