“We demand that the UN Security Council immediately take measures to demilitarise the Chernobyl exclusion zone and introduce a special UN mission there to eliminate the risk of the repeat of a nuclear catastrophe,” she said.
Her appeal came as International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi remained in Ukraine for talks with senior government officials on the agency’s planned delivery of urgent technical assistance to ensure the safety and security of the country’s nuclear facilities and help avert the risk of an accident that could endanger people and the environment.
Earlier this week Mr Grossi warned that urgent action is needed because military conflict is putting the country’s nuclear power plants and other facilities with radioactive material in “unprecedented danger”.
The IAEA said the aim of his visit is to initiate “prompt safety and security support to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities”. This will include sending IAEA experts to prioritised facilities and the shipment of vital safety and security supplies including monitoring and emergency equipment.
In a regular update about the situation at the country’s nuclear facilities, Ukraine said there had been no change in staffing at Chernobyl, which has been controlled by Russian forces since 24 February. There has been no staff rotation there since 20-21 March, when technical personnel who had worked at the facility for nearly four weeks were replaced by colleagues from the nearby city of Slavutych.
Mr Grossi had earlier expressed his concern about difficult work conditions at Chernobyl. He said staff had been working “under enormous stress without the necessary rest”.
