UN Security Council: Russian ambassador accuses Ukraine of 'crocodile tears'

Created: 08/12/2022, 21:15

By: Sandra Kathe

Russia's ambassador to the UN Security Council also issued vague threats to the West at a special session.

© Ed Jones/AFP

The risky attacks in the vicinity of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia have also called the UN Security Council into action.

Kyiv/New York - For days Russia and Ukraine have been blaming each other for the risky shelling of the area around Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

Now the ambassadors of both countries have taken the dispute to a special session of the UN Security Council.

This was reported on Friday (August 12) by the

.

Before the most powerful UN body, many had campaigned for a team of experts to travel to Zaporizhia to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.

Although the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, initially stated on the basis of available data that the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which had been shelled several times, currently does not pose a safety risk, he pointed out that this could change at any time.

Attacks on nuclear power plants in Ukraine: the operator group again reported ten strikes in the vicinity

According to a report by the

, the nuclear power plant was shelled again just a few hours before the Security Council meeting requested by Russia.

According to unverifiable information from the Russian occupation authorities, shots had been fired from places under Ukrainian control.

The Ukrainian company Enerhoatom reported ten impacts near the power plant.

As early as March, shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression, the nuclear power plant with its six 1000-megawatt reactors of Soviet design WVER came under Russian occupation.

According to reports, Ukrainian staff are still responsible for the operation.

There have recently been many doubts as to whether the employees work voluntarily with the Russian occupying forces.

Zaporizhia nuclear power plant: Mutual allegations from Ukraine and Russia

While the Ukrainian Ambassador Sergei Kyslytsya called on Russia to stop playing "games" and finally allow international experts to visit the power plant, the Russian Ambassador to the UN Security Council, Vasily Nebensya, accused Ukraine of "crocodile tears".

The theory of the Russian occupiers: The "Kyiv regime" wants to force an escalation and thus draw the West more firmly to its side.

The Russian diplomat accused him of "waging a war of lies" for six months and of "endangering" their own citizens with their support of Ukraine.

Although Nebensja agreed to the cooperation with experts demanded by Grossi, he expressed skepticism as to whether Ukraine would allow such a mission.

The IAEA chief had previously announced his willingness to "lead such a mission."

report , the Russian ambassador initially rejected

the demand for demilitarization of the power plant because this would make the nuclear power plant susceptible to provocation and acts of terrorism.

, on the

other hand, reported on Friday that Russia was open to a limited withdrawal of its military.

(ska with dpa)