UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Russia’s latest wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine — reportedly the largest since the full-scale invasion began more than three years ago — warning that the strikes once again jeopardize nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
That is according to a statement issued by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, Ukrinform reports.
The statement notes that Guterres expressed concern about this dangerous escalation and the growing number of civilian casualties. He recalled that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately.
“These strikes disrupted the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, once again underlining the ongoing risks to nuclear safety. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine as a first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions,” Dujarric said.
Russian airstrikes on Friday severed the last of two external power lines supplying the ZNPP, forcing the plant to rely on emergency diesel generators for more than three hours. Although external electricity was later restored, the incident marked the ninth time since the start of the full-scale invasion that the facility lost all external power.
Located in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Its six reactors have been in cold shutdown since 2024 but still require a constant power supply to cool reactor cores and spent fuel pools, in order to prevent overheating and potential radioactive release.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
Source: UN chief: Russian strikes threaten nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia NPP
