Russia told to hand back Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

KIEV – Foreign ministers from the G7 group of nations say Russia must immediately hand back control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukraine.

They accused Moscow’s forces of putting the entire region in danger.

The facility and its surrounding area saw shelling last week, which Russia and Ukraine blamed on each other.

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Ukraine says Russia has turned the site into a military base, launching attacks from there knowing that Ukrainian forces are unlikely to retaliate.

The complex, Europe’s largest, has been under Russian occupation since early March, although Ukrainian technicians still operate it.

Petro Kotin, the head of Enerhoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator, was quoted by BBC earlier this week that about 500 Russian soldiers were at the site, using it as a nuclear shield.