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August 9, 2022

Ukraine Calls for Demilitarized Zone Around Russian-Occupied Nuclear Power Plant
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The head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear power company is calling on
Russia and Ukraine to adopt a five-kilometer-wide demilitarized zone
around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, after fighting over the weekend
damaged safety equipment at the Russian-occupied site.

Petro Kotin: "The situation is very dangerous. We encountered such a
situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, if you remember. But
there is a very big difference here: There are six power units. All of
them are filled with nuclear materials. Also, there are pools with spent
nuclear fuel. All of this requires constant cooling at the expense of
working pumps. These pumps run on electricity."

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of placing explosive landmines
around the power units at Zaporizhzhia in what President Volodymyr
Zelensky called "nuclear blackmail."


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