MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. The Council of the Russian State Duma approved a statement urging the UN and the IAEA to demand that Ukraine’s authorities immediately stop shelling the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant at its emergency meeting on Thursday.
"The Council of the Russian State Duma which includes the leaders of all the factions of political parties represented in the State Duma urges the UN and the IAEA as well as national parliaments, inter-parliamentary organizations and bodies <…> to demand from the Ukrainian authorities to immediately stop shelling the Zaporozhye NPP and other facilities since their destruction can cause radioactive, chemical and biological contamination and a man-made catastrophe," the statement published on the lower house’s official site reads.
That said, the document emphasized that "only thanks to the commitment of Russian servicemen fulfilling their duty within the framework of the special military operation in Ukraine, until now it has been possible to ensure the necessary protection of the Zaporozhye NPP’s main facilities and the nearby city of Energodar."
According to the statement, the Duma Council resolutely condemns the continued bombardments of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe by Ukraine’s armed formations. "The Zaporozhye NPP’s critically important infrastructure is sustaining rocket and artillery hits while the violation of its nuclear and physical security is fraught with a large-scale catastrophe in the heart of the European continent. The consequences of Kiev’s thoughtless actions who is giving orders to shell the Zaporozhye NPP may be truly horrifying," the document stressed.
Additionally, the Duma Council noted that on Russian soil, Ukrainian saboteurs blow up power lines leading to the Kursk NPP. "Apparently, a number of major accidents at NPPs have taught nothing to Kiev and its NATO sponsors. The Russophobic ideology outweighs the principles of nuclear safety," the statement emphasized.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin noted that the initiative was supported by all the Duma factions. "Only over one day, according to the [Russian] Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian army delivered several strikes in the vicinity of the Zaporozhye NPP. So the issue is highly important. Our specialized committees led by the committee on international affairs, the energy committee and the committee on CIS affairs and relations with compatriots have prepared a statement," the Duma’s official website quoted the top lawmaker as saying.
Earlier, Communist Party (CPRF) leader Gennady Zyuganov proposed to review the issue of the threat to the safety and security of the Zaporozhye nuclear facility and the necessity to consolidate the society for the support of the special military operation in Ukraine at the emergency meeting of the Duma Council.