Russia has requested the UN Security Council hold a meeting on August 23 regarding the situation at Ukaine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing Moscow's deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy.
The power plant, Europe's largest, was captured by Russia in March, shortly after it invaded Ukraine on February 24. It has repeatedly come under fire in recent weeks, sparking fears of a nuclear disaster in a country still haunted by the legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
On August 22, U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged military restraint around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant and called for inspectors with the UN's atomic energy agency to be allowed to visit the plant as soon as possible.
Ukrainian officials said Russia failed to heed the warning and again shelled areas near the plant overnight.
Russia’s parliament said on August 22 that it will hold a meeting later in the week to discuss the situation around the nuclear power plant.
In an official statement published on August 22, the parliament said a session of the Council of the State Duma will be held on August 25 to discuss "the threat to the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant."
Russia doesn't deny it has troops located at the plant but has disputed claims it has shelled the area. Instead, Moscow blames Ukrainian forces for firing artillery shells in the area, which officials in Kyiv deny.