The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on Thursday (July 11) demanding that Russia immediately return the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to Ukrainian authorities to ensure its safety and security. The resolution also called on Russia to immediately cease its attacks on vital energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
The resolution was approved by the General Assembly, consisting of 193 member countries, with 99 votes in favor, 9 against, and 60 abstentions.
Prior to the vote, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, urged countries to support the resolution, stating, “This is our responsibility to future generations. We must ensure that the terror of a nuclear disaster is not repeated.”
According to a statement released by the United Nations, the resolution also called on Russia to grant timely and comprehensive access to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stationed at Zaporizhzhia before returning the nuclear plant, ensuring access to all areas crucial for nuclear safety and security, and condemning Moscow for not implementing relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the IAEA.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It was occupied by Russian forces shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but predominantly operated by Ukrainian staff. The plant has been shut down but requires external power to keep the nuclear material cool and prevent a meltdown.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed concerns about the safety of the plant, as it has been a target of shelling throughout the Russia-Ukraine war.
During the war, Ukraine and Russia have continuously blamed each other for shelling the nuclear plant and damaging power lines. Ukraine has refuted Russia’s allegations, stating that it did not attack nuclear facilities.
The UN resolution “calls on Russia to immediately stop attacks on Ukraine’s vital energy infrastructure, which increases the risk of nuclear accidents or incidents at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities.”
Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told the General Assembly before the vote that the purpose of the resolution was to “promote false Western narratives about the source of threats from Ukrainian nuclear facilities.”
He displayed debris of what he claimed to be a Ukrainian drone used in an attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on April 7. Ukraine denies being behind the drone attack mentioned by Polyanskiy.
In the first year of the war, nearly three-quarters of the General Assembly representatives repeatedly voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for its withdrawal.
The resolution passed on Thursday reiterated the demand for Russia to “immediately halt its aggression against Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all its troops.”