World Must Liberate Zaporizhzhia Plant to Prevent Another Chernobyl, Warns Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute to everyone who fell victim to one of the worst nuclear disasters in history and reminded the world of the urgent need to liberate the occupied Zaporizhzhia Power Plant from Russian forces.

“Radiation sees no borders or national flags. The Chornobyl disaster demonstrated how rapidly deadly threats can emerge. Tens of thousands of people mitigated the Chornobyl disaster at the cost of their own health and lives, eliminating its terrible consequences in 1986 and the years after,” wrote Zelenskyy.

The President reminded everyone of Russia’s occupation of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 2022: “For 35 days in 2022, Russia occupied the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Russian soldiers looted laboratories, captured guards and abused personnel, as well as used the station to launch further military operations.”

Zelenskyy then called the international community to put pressure on Russia to liberate the now-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to prevent any radiation disasters in the future. Russia has occupied the power plant since March 2022, turning it into a military base.

“For 785 days now, Russian terrorists have held hostage the Zaporizhzhia NPP. And it is the entire world’s responsibility to put pressure on Russia to ensure that ZNPP is liberated and returned to full Ukrainian control, as well as that all Ukrainian nuclear facilities are protected from Russian strikes,” said the Head of the State.

The Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant began in the early days of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. On March 4th, 2022, Russian forces seized the plant during the Battle of Enerhodar. Since then, the world has witnessed repeated shelling near the facility, raising fears of a catastrophic nuclear incident. The occupation has been condemned internationally, with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) repeatedly calling for the establishment of a safety zone around the plant. Despite ongoing dangers and international pressure, Russia continues to maintain control of Zaporizhzhia, highlighting the enduring vulnerability of nuclear facilities in times of conflict.