Russia-Ukraine war: UN calls for end to attacks near Zaporizhzhia facility

The United Nations nuclear watchdog has called for an end to the shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility. The call by the International Atomic Energy Agency comes as both Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the attacks near the facility.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi issued a statement Sunday calling for an end to the attacks near the Zaporizhzhia plant. This comes as IAEA experts have heard over a dozen blasts on the same day. The experts also said they could see explosions in their windows and later said they would assess the situation on Monday.

“The news from our team yesterday and this morning is extremely disturbing,” said Grossi. “Explosions occurred at the site of this major nuclear power plant, which is completely unacceptable. As I have said many times before, you are playing with fire!”

Grossi also told a French broadcaster that it was clear that the raids close to the facility were intended.

“The people who are doing this know where they are hitting. It is absolutely deliberate, targeted,” said Grossi. The IAEA said in a statement after its assessment that parts of the facility were damaged, but there was no “radiation release or loss of power.”

During his evening address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was a heavy onslaught of at least 400 Russian attacks that also hit eastern Ukraine, with heavy fighting on the ground in eastern Donetsk.

Russia has been intensifying its bombardments of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure following the significant losses it has incurred on the ground. Ukrainian forces were able to reclaim the Kherson region – the only major Ukrainian territory that Russia seized since its invasion back in February.

Also on Sunday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Kyiv has ordered an evacuation of residents in Kherson. Vereshchuk cited the damages caused by Russian strikes on the region’s infrastructure, which made life difficult for residents.

The news of the evacuation followed the strike by Russian missiles on an oil depot in Kherson, marking the first time a fuel storage facility was hit in the city.

Vereshchuk said that a number of residents have expressed an intention to move away from the newly reclaimed area as well as the area near Mykolaiv.