Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the 36th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster with a speech condemning Russia’s “completely irresponsible actions” around nuclear power plants and calling for “global control” of the Kremlin’s nuclear capabilities, New York Post reports.
“Every year on April 26th, the world remembers the Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear disaster in human history,” Zelensky began. “But this year it is not enough just to remember Chernobyl… because this year, Russia created new threats that could surpass even the worst accident.”
The president recalled the night of March 4, when a fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
“They knew exactly which object they were firing at,” he said. “But they had an order to seize the object at any cost. They did not care about anything. They did not care that the Zaporizhzhia station was the largest in Europe. They didn’t think about how many power units there are and how the shelling could end.”
Zelensky recalled speaking with world leaders that night, including U.S. President Joe Biden.
“It is even surprising how quickly and completely Russia, the whole country, can forget about the worst catastrophe that its people have experienced as well,” the president added, noting that Russians suffered in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26, 1986.
