Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has called on the international community to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
If targeted bombing and missile strikes on homes, hospitals, maternity hospitals and kindergartens are not enough to secure the sky over Ukraine, he suggested recalling the Chornobyl catastrophe in April 1986, when a radioactive cloud passed through a considerable part of Europe and the eastern part of the United States.
"Today we are talking about the Zaporizhzyia NPP. THE LARGEST one in Europe. The consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe with only one power unit were catastrophic for the world. Imagine what will happen if another Russian missile hits the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which has SIX power units," he said in a statement released by the Defence Ministry.
"Currently, the Zaporizhzhya NPP and the Chornobyl NPP sites are under the control of the Russian armed forces. Targeting Enerhodar with its Zaporizhzhya NPP was no accident. These were planned actions. Russia has committed an act of nuclear terrorism. We were miraculously lucky; the fire was extinguished. But tomorrow we may not be so fortunate," Reznikov added.
He noted that in case of an explosion, the nuclear disaster would surpass all the previous accidents, including Chornobyl and the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster.
"Is the world ready for a catastrophe six times more powerful than the Chornobyl NPP? Are all those who hesitate about closing the airspace over Ukraine ready to sacrifice the lives and health of not only Ukrainian but also their children? This is not about war, which is somewhere far away in Ukraine. It's about your safety. It is about the nuclear danger to the whole world. So, evaluate the situation. Ask yourself: am I ready to hope that the missile will not strike NPP, when they 'accidentally do not strike' houses and kindergartens," the minister said.
He described as unconvincing the arguments against enforcing A2 / AD on the pretext that NATO is trying to avoid a nuclear war. "Russia has already started it. The historic lessons are difficult and must be taken into account," he said.
"Had Eisenhower supported Europe earlier during World War II, the United States would have never had Pearl Harbor. Had the world imposed the same sanctions on Russia as it does today earlier, a full-scale war would not have begun. Without any exaggeration, the only way for us to survive, and by 'us', I mean the whole world, is to implement A2 / AD zone," Reznikov concluded.
NATO rejected Ukraine's request to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine yesterday.