Zelenskyy to UN: Russia is planning attacks on Ukraine's nuclear plants

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed before the United Nations that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is planning to attack nuclear power plants in his country, warning of catastrophic consequences.

"Recently I received yet another alarming report from our intelligence. Now Putin does seem to be planning attacks on our nuclear power plants and the infrastructure, aiming to disconnect the plants from the power grid," Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy, delivering his speech in English, claimed that Russia was using satellites to gather images and detailed information about Ukraine's nuclear infrastructure.

"Any critical incident in the energy system could lead to a nuclear disaster, a day like that must never come," Zelenskyy said.

"Moscow needs to understand this, and this depends in part on your determination to put pressure on the aggressor," he said.

"These are nuclear power plants. They must be safe."

'Helping Ukraine'

Meanwhile, he also met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, according to the Ukrainian presidency.

A statement said Zelenskyy commended the alliance’s long-term efforts to support Kiev during Stoltenberg's tenure and expressed that he thinks it achieved many very important results.

“You – as well as some other allies – helped to unite the world, including defence ministers, in helping Ukraine, in strengthening our army,” Zelenskyy was quoted in the statement.

Zelenskyy also thanked Stoltenberg for the last two NATO summits, which he said have brought Kiev closer to the alliance.

“Among the main topics of discussion were the need to enhance Ukraine's air defence, including the expedited delivery of additional systems, and the continued efforts on an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO as soon as possible,” the statement added.​​​​​​​