"ZNPP is being held hostage by terrorists": Zelenskyy calls on the world to put pressure on Russia on the day of the Chornobyl disaster

Exactly 38 years ago, the world shuddered from one of the worst disasters of the 20th century – the Chornobyl accident. However, the specter of a new radiation disaster has not only not receded from humanity since then, but has come closer to it.

For the third year in a row, the world has been brought to the brink of irreparable tragedy by the terrorist state of Russia, which first seized and looted the Chornobyl NPP and is now blackmailing humanity with the Zaporizhzhya NPP seized by Russian invaders. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the threat of new radiation disasters and the only way to avoid them on the anniversary of the Chornobyl accident, April 26, 2024.

The Head of State reminded us that less than 40 years ago, the world had already seen with its own eyes one of the most terrible deadly threats, which was averted at the cost of lives and health of tens of thousands of people.

"Radiation does not recognize borders and does not distinguish between national flags. The Chornobyl disaster showed the world how quickly deadly threats can arise. Tens of thousands of people stopped the growth of the Chornobyl disaster at the cost of their health and lives and eliminated its terrible consequences in 1986 and years afterwards," he wrote.

A few decades later, the Chornobyl NPP, followed by the ZNPP, seized by Russian invaders, brought the world face to face with a potential catastrophe that would affect all of humanity.

"For 35 days, the Chornobyl nuclear power plant was under occupation. Russian soldiers looted the laboratories, captured the guards, mocked the staff, and used them to launch further military operations. For 785 days, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia NPP, has been held hostage by Russian terrorists," Zelenskyy emphasized.

He emphasized: "It is in the interests of the whole world to "knock out" the means of nuclear blackmail from the hands of the aggressor state. Only by expelling the occupiers from the ZNPP can a catastrophe be avoided.

"It is the duty of the whole world to put pressure on Russia to ensure that ZNPP is liberated and returned under full control of Ukraine and that all nuclear facilities in Ukraine are protected from Russian strikes. Only this will ensure that the world does not suffer new radiation disasters – exactly what the Russian occupants' stay at ZNPP threatens every day. We remember the strength and dedication of people who saved lives in 1986. We appreciate everyone who helps to protect lives now," the President of Ukraine summarized.

As a reminder, on April 14, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned that Russian terrorists were preparing for another provocation at the ZNPP.

"Russia is the only terrorist in the world that holds a nuclear power plant hostage and uses it to blackmail Ukraine and the whole world. No one else, except for Russian terrorists, has ever brought the world so close to the brink of a deliberate radiation disaster," the General Staff said in a statement.

The General Staff also emphasized that in recent weeks, the Russian terrorist country has repeatedly tried to shift the responsibility for the use of drones to attack Zaporizhzhia NPP facilities onto Ukraine. By their actions, the Russians are deliberately continuing the practice of blackmailing Ukraine and the entire international community with the risk of a nuclear disaster.

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