VIENNA, August 14. /TASS/. More than 40 countries have called on Russia to withdraw its troop from the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and pass it over under Ukraine’s control, according to a statement issued by the European Union’s delegation to the International Organizations in Vienna.

"Deployment of Russian military personnel and weaponry at the nuclear facility is unacceptable," says the statement signed by 42 countries, including all EU member nations, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Japan, and others. They claim that Russia allegedly violates "the safety, security, and safeguards principles that all members of the IAEA have committed to respect."

The statement calls on Russia to pass over control over the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to Kiev. According to the document, only in this case IAEA experts will be able to inspect the station. The signatories also expressed overall support to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi’s efforts to ensure the plant’s security.

Located in the city of Energodar, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is controlled by Russian troops. In recent days, Ukrainian forces delivered several strikes at its territory using unmanned aerial vehicles, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launch systems. It most cases, such attacks are repelled by air defense systems but several shells hit infrastructure facilities and the vicinity of the nuclear waste storage.

The Zaporozhye NPP is Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant. With a capacity of around 6,000 megawatt, it generated a fourth of Ukraine’s electricity. Since 1996, it was part of Ukraine’s Energoatom generating company. In March 2022, control over the nuclear plant came over to Russian forces. Now, the plant is operating at 70% of its capacity due to the oversupply of electricity on the liberated territories of the Zaporozhye region. It is planned to supply electricity from the plant to Crimea.