Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations that Russia was planning more significant attacks on his country’s nuclear power plants, warning of a possible “nuclear catastrophe.”
He said he had received intelligence showing that Moscow was using satellites provided by other countries to gather information about Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure.
“Radiation does not respect national borders and many nations could feel its devastating effects,” he warned the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Russia has repeatedly targeted energy facilities across Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“Any critical incident in the energy system could lead to a nuclear catastrophe – a day like that must never happen,” Zelensky said.
“Moscow must understand this, and it partly depends on your determination to put pressure on the aggressor.
“These are nuclear power plants. They have to be safe.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned last month that security at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine was deteriorating.
It follows a strike near the perimeter of the site, close to essential irrigation ponds and about 100 metres from the only remaining high-voltage power line.
The factory was seized by Russian forces early in the war and was the subject of repeated attacks, for which both sides blamed each other.
Zelensky said in his speech Wednesday that Russia had destroyed all of Ukraine’s thermal power plants and much of its hydroelectric capacity in order to “torment” Ukrainians before winter.
“Energy must stop being used as a weapon,” he said.
A major power plant near kyiv was completely destroyed by Russian strikes in April. Millions of Ukrainians have suffered power outages this year alone.
During his stay in the United States, Zelensky said he plans to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
A Donald Trump campaign official said the Republican nominee would not meet with the Ukrainian leader – despite statements from officials in kyiv last week that Zelensky planned to see the former president.
Trump described Zelensky as the “best salesman on Earth” after his speech and said the US would be “stuck in this war” unless he was elected in November.
In his UN speech, Zelensky also criticized China and Brazil for pushing for negotiations with Russia, questioning their motives.
He issued a renewed call for countries to support his proposals for a comprehensive and just peace, reiterating his position that Russian forces must withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders to end the war.
Ukraine will not accept a return to a “brutal colonial past,” he added.
