Chernobyl is being held by UN forces in Kyiv

Irina Verestsuk argued that a special UN mission should be sent to take care of the area, according to the Ukrainian newspaper Pravda.

"As far as nuclear safety is concerned, the irresponsible and unprofessional actions of the Russian army pose a serious threat not only to Ukraine but also to hundreds of millions of other Europeans," she said.

"That is why we call on the UN Security Council to take immediate action to demilitarize the Chernobyl nuclear disarmament zone and to develop a special mission," he said.

Ms. Verestsuk argued that the Russian military is stockpiling large quantities of ammunition in the area where the half-destroyed nuclear plant is located and that fires that broke out in the area around Chernobyl could have very serious consequences.

She complained that the fire was being contained by the Russian military and that radioactive particles could be released into the atmosphere.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Environment of Ukraine spoke about 31 fires in the area where Chernobyl is located.

Reactor No. 4 of the nuclear plant exploded in 1986, causing what is described as the worst disaster in a civilian nuclear facility in history. It was covered by two sarcophagi. The first was built by the Soviets and has been damaged. The second, more modern, was installed in 2019. The other three reactors were progressively shut down after the disaster, the last one in 2000. The plant continues to store radioactive waste today.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday described the security situation at Ukraine's nuclear power plants as unchanged.

SOURCE: RES-EBA