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Politician says only Russia’s proposal will ensure safety at Zaporozhye NPP

Earlier, the head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said that the safety model discussed with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stipulates there won’t be any shelling of the ZNPP

MELITOPOL, November 25. /TASS/. Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia civil society group, on Friday said any alternatives to the Russian proposal about the parameters of a safety zone around the Zaporozhye NPP create risks for civilians within hundreds of kilometers.

"We just need to pursue [the proposal]. If we want safety for that important facility, safety for the people living in Energodar and the Zaporozhye Region and not just there but also within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, then only this formula is workable. It’s simply impossible to come up with anything similar for the reason that it will compromise or directly threaten the safety of the NPP and local residents," he told TASS.

Earlier, the head of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said that the safety model discussed with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stipulates there won’t be any shelling of the ZNPP. He said Russia doesn’t keep any offensive weapons or forces at the plant, but only maintains forces required for the protection the facility.

Grossi has repeatedly urged to establish a safety zone around the ZNPP. In September, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its forces the ZNPP. On November 17, the IAEA adopted a new resolution on the ZNPP, which called on Russia to "immediately abandon its baseless claims of ownership of the plant." Russia and China voted against the resolution, while India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, South Africa, Kenya and Namibia abstained.

The Permanent Mission of Russia in Vienna said the IAEA resolution went beyond the agency's mandate. The agency's deputy director general, Mikhail Chudakov, said on Monday that the decision of the IAEA Board of Governors was advisory, and the Kremlin called on all countries to put pressure on Ukraine so it stops shelling the ZNPP. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that in the draft resolution "doesn’t have a single word about the true source of the threats: Ukraine," which had been shelling the station for a long time.

The Zaporozhye NPP is the largest nuclear plant in Europe. Russia took control of it at the end of February as part of the special military operation.

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