Ukraine demands Rosatom sanctions over Russian strikes on nuclear infrastructure
Photo: Russia strikes again at substations powering nuclear power plants (Getty Images)
Ukraine has sharply condemned Russia’s latest targeted attacks on substations critical to the external power supply of Ukrainian nuclear plants, the Foreign Ministry said.
Ukraine fully shares the concern expressed by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that strikes on civilian energy facilities that directly affect the safe operation of nuclear installations violate the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law.
Such actions are incompatible with the IAEA's "Seven Indispensable Pillars," particularly the fourth, which requires reliable off-site power for all nuclear facilities.
The ministry also stated that the nature of target selection, the sequence of strikes, and the correspondence of the chosen targets to nuclear power plants’ external power supply schemes indicate possible involvement of representatives of Russian state-owned energy companies, including the Rosatom corporation.
The use of specialized technical data may suggest complicity in actions that bear signs of nuclear terrorism.
Ukraine called on its international partners to strengthen sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation, in particular by expanding restrictions on Rosatom and its affiliated entities, and to completely end all cooperation with them in the civilian nuclear sector.
It should be noted that yesterday the IAEA reported that substations critical to Ukraine's nuclear safety were damaged due to Russian military actions.
"The threats to nuclear safety remain very real and ever-present," Grossi said.
