UN calls for demilitarised zone around Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
By Euronews with AFP, AP • Updated: 30/03/2023 -
The chief of the UN atomic watchdog said on Wednesday he was working on a compromise security plan for the Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and warned of increased military activity around the facility
There are persistent fears over the safety of the plant, where there has been frequent shelling since Russian troops invaded last year.
During a rare visit to Europe's largest nuclear plant currently controlled by Russian forces, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he was working to find a compromise that would suit both Moscow and Kyiv.
"I am trying to prepare and propose realistic measures that will be approved by all parties," Grossi told reporters during a press tour organised by Moscow.
"We must avoid catastrophe. I am an optimist and I believe that this is possible," said Grossi, who arrived at the plant in a Russian armoured vehicle, surrounded by soldiers in full combat gear.
But he also warned of "increasing" military activity around the nuclear plant and hoped Russia and Ukraine would agree on safety principles.
He added that the visit to the plant was "extremely useful".
"The idea is to agree on certain principles, certain commitments, including not to attack the plant," he separately told press agencies.
Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of shelling the plant, increasing fears of a disaster. The United Nations has called for a demilitarised zone around the site.
By Euronews with AFP, AP • Updated: 30/03/2023 -
The chief of the UN atomic watchdog said on Wednesday he was working on a compromise security plan for the Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and warned of increased military activity around the facility
There are persistent fears over the safety of the plant, where there has been frequent shelling since Russian troops invaded last year.
During a rare visit to Europe's largest nuclear plant currently controlled by Russian forces, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he was working to find a compromise that would suit both Moscow and Kyiv.
"I am trying to prepare and propose realistic measures that will be approved by all parties," Grossi told reporters during a press tour organised by Moscow.
"We must avoid catastrophe. I am an optimist and I believe that this is possible," said Grossi, who arrived at the plant in a Russian armoured vehicle, surrounded by soldiers in full combat gear.
But he also warned of "increasing" military activity around the nuclear plant and hoped Russia and Ukraine would agree on safety principles.
He added that the visit to the plant was "extremely useful".
"The idea is to agree on certain principles, certain commitments, including not to attack the plant," he separately told press agencies.
Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of shelling the plant, increasing fears of a disaster. The United Nations has called for a demilitarised zone around the site.
ON MARCH 29, 2023
By EU Reporter Correspondent
Ukraine’s president stated that Russian troops held the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant "hostage" while his forces closed the frontline town of Avdiivka to plan their next move.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops have held the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and show no desire to surrender control.
In his nightly video address, President Volodymyr Zilenskiy stated that "Holding a nuclear station hostage for over a year is certainly the worst thing ever done in the history of European and world-wide nuclear power."
He called the Russian presence "radiation blackmail"
He made these comments after meeting Rafael Grossi (director general of IAEA) at the Dnipro hydroelectric plant - northeastern of the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
In comments posted to the presidential website, Zelenskiy stated that initiatives to restore safety and security are "destined for failure" without a withdrawal of Russian troops.
Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each others of attacking the Zaporizhzhia facility. Fears of nuclear catastrophe have been raised by the fighting to get around it, and concerns about a water scarcity and cooling systems that could go out of power.
Since September, an IAEA team has been stationed at this plant. Kyiv accuses Moscow of using it as a shield for troops or military hardware.
Grossi repeatedly called for a safety area around it, and is scheduled to return this week. Grossi has attempted to negotiate with both parties but stated in January that it was becoming more difficult to broker a deal.
Zaporizhzhia was one of the four Russian regions that Russia claimed it had annexed in September. This happened after referendums were widely criticized as fraudulent. Russia considers the plant its territory, which Ukraine denies.
Zelenskiy visited Zaporizhzhia in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia on Monday. This is the latest stage in a tour to frontline regions after a top general suggested that a counterattack by Ukraine could be imminent.
LEOPARDS GO TO UKRAINE
Analysts believe that a Ukrainian counterattack will begin in earnest during April-May, as weather conditions improve and more military aid arrives including battle tanks Leopard or Challenger.
German Defence Ministry Monday said that the 18 Leopard 2 tanks, which are the workhorse for militaries in Europe, were delivered to Ukraine.
Boris Pistorius, German Defence Minister, stated on Twitter that "I'm certain that they can make an decisive contribution on-the front."
Despite a Russian winter offensive, the front lines of Ukraine have not moved in over four months. The Ukrainian military wants to take down the Russian forces, before it mounts its own attack.
Russia's Wagner mercenary army, believed to have suffered heavy losses in eastern Ukraine is now trying to rebuild its ranks before any Ukrainian counteroffensive.
An huge recruitment advertisement has been placed on the facade of an office in Moscow's northeast.
It features Wagner's logo, slogans like "Join our winning team!" It also features the slogans "Together, we will win" and a photo of a masked man with a weapon.
AVDIIVKA HUTS
The Russian forces are focusing on Avdiivka (90 km/55 miles south of Bakhmut), while a general in Ukraine said that the country's forces were planning the next move.
Ukraine closed Avdiivka for civilians Monday. A Ukrainian official described the town as "post-apocalyptic" wasteland.
According to the Ukrainian military, Avdiivka may become a second Bakhmut. It has been reduced in rubble by fighting over months and has been described by both sides "meat grinder". Russian forces claim they are fighting street to street.
Colonel General Oleksandr Siskyi, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, stated this month that a counterattack wasn't "far away". He visited frontline troops in eastern Ukraine and claimed that his forces are still resisting attacks on Bakhmut.
According to Ukrainian authorities, air defenses destroyed 12 drones close to Kyiv Monday. The falling debris also set a nonresidential site on fire. There were no casualties.
Russia launched 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones on Ukraine overnight, and Ukrainian forces destroyed 14 of them, the military of Ukraine said on Tuesday (28 March).
"The logic behind the Russians' actions are terror aimed at civilian infrastructure," Andriy Yarmak, the Ukrainian presidential chief-of-staff, stated on Telegram regarding the drone attacks.
"It won’t work, just as geopolitical blackmail."
Putin and other Russian officials have raised the possibility that the conflict could reach nuclear weapons after his invasion of Ukraine to "demilitarize" it in the fall. He claimed that he had reached a deal to station tactical nukes in Belarus.
"Ukraine has demolished its Western allies," he said.
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