Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Russian forces occupying the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station must pull out of the area after Ukraine's armed forces warned there is a danger of ammunition exploding at the site.
"We demand that the UN Security Council immediately take measures to demilitarize the Chernobyl exclusion zone and introduce a special UN mission there to eliminate the risk of the repeat of a nuclear catastrophe," she said in a video on the Telegram social media platform on March 30.
Vereshchuk also said Ukraine had asked Russia at talks on March 29 to allow 97 humanitarian corridors to be established to the worst-hit towns, cities, and villages in Ukraine.
Ukrainian staff have continued to manage the Chernobyl site even after Russian forces took control of the plant on February 24, the day that Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.
On March 29, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, traveled to Ukraine for talks with senior government officials on the delivery of "urgent technical assistance" to ensure the safety and security of the country’s nuclear facilities amid Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.
"We can’t afford to lose any more time. This conflict is already causing unimaginable human suffering and destruction. The IAEA’s expertise and capabilities are needed to prevent it from also leading to a nuclear accident,” Grossi said in a statement.
The statement did not say how long Grossi would be in Ukraine.
