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It's "time to stop playing with fire" at Zaporizhzhia, warns ICRC chief

Robert Mardini, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

01 September 2022 13:10 (UTC +04:00)

It is "high time to stop playing with fire" around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned Thursday, APA reports citing CNN.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini urged "concrete measures" be taken "to protect this facility and others like it from any military operations."

"The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastations that we will regret for decades," he warned.

"When hazardous sites become battlegrounds, the consequences for millions of people and the environment can be catastrophic and last many years," he said.

"In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult if not impossible to provide humanitarian assistance."