UNITED NATIONS -- The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday demanding that Russia urgently withdraw its military and personnel from Europe鈥檚 largest nuclear power plant and immediately return the facility to Ukraine.
The resolution also reiterates the assembly鈥檚 demands for Russia to immediately 鈥渃ease its aggression against Ukraine鈥� and withdraw all troops, and again reaffirms the 193-member world body鈥檚 commitment to Ukraine鈥檚 鈥渟overeignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.鈥�
The resolution was approved by a vote of 99-9 with 60 countries abstaining and 25 countries not voting.
Russia was joined by Belarus, Cuba, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria, Burundi and North Korea in opposing the resolution. China, India, South Africa and many Middle Eastern countries were among those abstaining.
The resolution expresses 鈥済rave concern over the precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.鈥� It says returning the plant to Ukraine鈥檚 full control will ensure its safety and security and enable the International Atomic Energy Agency 鈥渢o conduct safe, efficient and effective safeguards.鈥�
Fears of a nuclear catastrophe have been at the forefront since Russian troops occupied the plant shortly after invading Ukraine in February 2022. Zaporizhzhia, which has six nuclear reactors, sits in Russian-controlled territory in southeastern Ukraine near the front lines and has been continually caught in crossfire.
The IAEA has repeatedly expressed alarm about cuts to Zaporizhzhia's electricity, which is crucial for the plant鈥檚 operation, and the plants' supply issues. Without attributing blame, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told the UN Security Council on April 15 that his agency had confirmed three attacks against Zaporizhzhia since April 7.
Both Ukraine and Russia have regularly accused the other of attacking the plant, and the accusations continued on Thursday.
Ukraine鈥檚 UN ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya introduced the resolution, telling the General Assembly that Russia 鈥渃ontinues to violate key principles of technological and physical nuclear security鈥� and continues to attack the plant.
Ukraine and neighboring countries suffered 鈥渢he disastrous consequences鈥� of the nuclear explosion at the Chernobyl plant in 1986, he said, but the repercussions of a possible incident at Zaporizhzhia 鈥渨hich has been deliberately turned into a key component for the military strategy of Russia would be even more catastrophic.鈥�
Kyslytsya warned that 鈥渋f we simply stand with our arms crossed, that good luck will not last forever, and an incident will be inevitable.鈥�
"Nuclear security and protection depend on our ability to adopt a strong and common stance on the inadmissibility of the continued occupation and militarization of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,鈥� the Ukrainian ambassador said.
Russia鈥檚 deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky accused Ukraine and its Western supporters of trying to push through the resolution with the real goal of getting the General Assembly's 鈥渂lessing鈥� for the outcome of last month鈥檚 Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland and 鈥渟neaking in political elements.鈥�
In the conference communique, nearly 80 countries called for the 鈥渢erritorial integrity鈥� of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end the war. It also said Zaporizhzhia and other nuclear plants must remain under Ukrainian control in line with IAEA principles.
Polyansky accused the communique's supporters of trying 鈥渢o promote the false Western narrative about the source of threats to nuclear facilities in Ukraine.鈥� He claimed that the only threat to nuclear facilities in Ukraine today is from Kyiv鈥檚 "regular, reckless attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,鈥� its related infrastructure, and the nearby city where plant employees and their families live.
