On Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that shelling near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine led to a power outage, jeopardizing its safe operation.. The head of the IAEA called for the immediate creation of a nuclear safety and protection zone around the occupied ZNPP.

“The shelling resulted in a complete power outage in Enerhodar (city) and threatened the safe operation of the nearby Zaporizhzhya (nuclear power plant),” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi tweeted, calling it a “dramatic event”.

Shelling has caused a complete blackout in #Enerhodar and compromised the safe operation of the nearby #Zaporizhzhya NPP. This must stop \u0026 a Nuclear Safety \u0026 Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) agreed immediately. An NPP can never be a pawn of war. https://t. co/jMMf7jk12S pic. twitter. com/7djejJe80G.

— Rafael Mariano Grossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 9, 2022.

Grossi called for an immediate end to the shelling of the city and the station.

" A nuclear power plant can never be a pawn of war,"

Grossi doubted that it would be possible to restore a reliable power supply outside the ZNPP site and expressed concern for the lives of plant employees and their families, which in general significantly increases the risk of a nuclear accident..

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Kyiv on Wednesday called for the establishment of an international mission at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and urged the population to leave the area due to fears of a nuclear catastrophe..

Earlier it was reported that Poland and Canada had prepared a resolution demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops and personnel from the captured Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, as well as to stop hostilities in the area of \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bthe plant and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine..