The UN atomic watchdog agency urged Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday to establish a 'nuclear safety and security protection zone' around the Zaporizhzhia power plant amid mounting fears the fighting could trigger a catastrophe in a country still haunted by the Chornobyl disaster.
In a report following a visit by experts from the agency last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said "shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities, for the safety of the operating staff and to maintain the physical integrity to support safe and secure operation.”
A pro-Kremlin official in the Russian-controlled port city of Berdyansk in southern Ukraine was in a serious condition Tuesday after being injured in a car blast, Moscow-installed authorities said.