India Expresses Concern Over Ukraine Nuclear Plant In UNSC

India calls for mutual restraint to ensure safety and security

Ahead of the recent United Nations meeting, India has expressed concern over reports of shelling near the spent fuel storage facility of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Moreover, the country has called for mutual restraint to ensure that the safety and security of nuclear facilities are not endangered.

Taking notes from India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said, "We continue to carefully follow developments regarding the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear power reactors and facilities. India attaches high importance to ensuring the safety and security of these facilities, as any accident involving nuclear facilities could potentially have severe consequences for public health and the environment."

While speaking about the concerns over Ukraine in the UNSC, Ms Kamboj said India expresses concern over the reports of shelling near the spent fuel storage facility of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

At the open meeting in the Security Council on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, she said, "We call for mutual restraint so as not to endanger the safety and security of nuclear facilities."

Moreover, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi told the UN Security Council meeting that on August 5, the Zaporizhzhia plant -- Europe's largest subjected to shelling, which caused several explosions near the electrical switchboard and a power shutdown.

Ahead of that, even Ukraine has informed the IAEA that 10 of the country's 15 nuclear energy reactors - two at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, three at the Rivne NPP, and three at the South Ukraine NPP and two at the Khmelnytskyy Nuclear Power Plant - are currently connected to the grid.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed grave concern about the unfolding situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine. He appealed to all concerned to exercise "common sense and reason" and not to undertake any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear power plant.