Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Tuesday that the control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant by Russian forces during the initial phase of their attack on Ukraine pushed the world toward "the brink of disaster." In a press conference with Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Zelensky remarked, "The world is again on the brink of disaster" because Russia treated the Chernobyl area "as if it were an ordinary battlefield, an area where Russian forces did not even try to pay attention to nuclear safety." He added, "No country in the world since 1986 has posed a comparable widespread threat to nuclear safety in Europe and the world as Russia has done since February 24," the date of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
For his part, Grossi stated that his role is to ensure "that the tragedy of war does not escalate due to a nuclear accident." He mentioned that there will be "specific work dedicated to restoring and recovering all capacities and infrastructure that have been damaged in recent weeks."
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Zelensky said that Russia fired missiles at Ukraine directly over Ukrainian nuclear power plants. He questioned, "Are they threatening us?" He went on to say that after witnessing the way Russian forces acted within the Chernobyl area and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, "no one in the world can feel safe."
