Ukraine works to hold Russia accountable for alleged radioactive provocation

Ukraine works on an operation to "prove" the "theft" of radioactive materials by Russian military personnel and their removal from the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

"Based on fabricated "surveys" conducted among personnel of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, they work to collect false evidence to establish the alleged "theft" of radioactive materials, chemical solutions, radioactive equipment and their removal by the Russian troops outside the exclusion zone, which subsequently led to people's exposure to radiation in temporarily occupied territories," a statement from the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of Russia for Humanitarian Response, said, TASS reports.

In addition, Norwegian specialists are also involved in the preparation of "documents" and an "independent conclusion" on the effects of radiation exposure in the Kyiv region, the department said.

The military department indicated that on the eve of the special session of the UN General Assembly, Kyiv, with the support of Western countries, intends to accuse Russia of a "gross violation” of the Convention on Nuclear Safety during the special military operation.

The purpose of the provocation is to create a negative background and push those countries that did not support sanctions against Russia to vote for the Ukrainian "peace formula," the department said.

As the Russian military noted, Kyiv plans to present fabricated evidence to confirm that "as a result of the actions of Russian military personnel at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and in the "exclusion zone” in February-April 2022, large territories of Ukraine were exposed to radioactive contamination."

Missions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) previously established that the radiation background at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and adjacent territories was normal, the department stressed.

"In accordance with the official statement from IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Russian representatives transferred control over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to the Ukrainian side on April 1, 2022, and the relevant protocol was signed,” the department also said.

The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that Russian airborne units took control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on February 25, 2022, the day after the start of the military operation. The department then noted that the Russian military had agreed with the Ukrainian military on joint security of the power units and the station's sarcophagus. Ukrainian specialists continued to service the station. In late March, the IAEA reported that the Ukrainian side informed the organisation that the Russian forces had transferred control over the NPP to Ukrainian specialists.