The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has urged Russia and Ukraine to agree on a framework agreement to protect nuclear facilities during hostilities.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi plans to travel to Ukraine in the coming days, to the Chernobyl exclusion zone held by Russian forces, to mediate such an agreement.

"I'm ready to come," he said on Friday in Vienna.

Grossi made it clear that he was not acting as a political mediator, but solely within the framework of his mandate for the safety of nuclear plants.

This was preceded by disturbing reports of fighting on the site and a fire in a building, which has since been extinguished.

Russian units have taken control of the area around the nuclear power plant.

According to Russian information, the operation will be continued by Ukrainian employees and under the supervision of authorities in Kyiv.

The six reactor blocks were therefore spared.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, only the fourth block was currently in operation in the nuclear power plant.

During the night, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke up on Twitter: The Russian army was shooting at the facility “from all sides,” Kuleba wrote.

"The fire has already broken out.

If it explodes, it will be ten times bigger than Chernobyl!” Russia must stop shooting immediately to allow firefighters to get to the fire.

From the Russian side there was no confirmation of a shelling.

Selenskyj turns to Russians

The mayor of the nearby city of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, also spoke up during the night: he demanded that the fighting should be stopped immediately for security reasons on Telegram.

He had previously reported about 100 Russian military vehicles in the area.

The information could not initially be verified independently.

Gunfire was exchanged on videos intended to show the events.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of targeted fire from Russian tanks.

"Europe needs to wake up now," said Zelenskyy in a video message published on Telegram on Friday.

“There are tanks equipped with thermal imaging cameras.

That means they know where they are shooting, they have prepared for it," said the head of state.

He also recalled the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

"Right now Russian tanks are shelling the reactor blocks," said Zelenskyy.

He accuses Russia of "nuclear terrorism".

"The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is on fire," he said at the time when the fire had not yet been extinguished.

Ukraine has been demanding the closure of airspace for days.

Zelenskyi also addressed the Russian population: "People in Russia,

how is that even possible?

We fought together against the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

did you forget?

If you remember this, you cannot be silent.

Tell your leadership you want to live.”

On April 26, 1986, one of the worst catastrophes in the peaceful use of nuclear energy occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine.

After the explosion of a reactor block of the nuclear power plant, radioactive substances spread over large parts of Europe over several days.

According to information from the FAZ, the fire did not affect any major systems.

Director-General of the European Atomic Energy Community Euratom, Yves Desbazeille, told FAZ Man is following developments and supports calls for an immediate cessation of the use of violence in the vicinity of nuclear power plants and for protection of the health and well-being of workers.

Desbazeille appeased that the statements that the situation could get worse than in Chernobyl were noted: "But we do not believe that these assessments fully reflect reality.

A lot will depend on what goal Russia ultimately pursues.” He does not want to speculate about whether

Warnings of the danger also from Russia

Russia's military seizure of Ukraine's nuclear facilities has been condemned by the IAEA's governing body.

According to diplomats, a corresponding resolution of the IAEA Board of Governors was only rejected by Russia and China.

According to the resolution, the risk of a nuclear accident with international repercussions had increased significantly in the course of the Russian invasion.

The IAEA resolution is based on lies, Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov, who represents Russia at the international organizations in Vienna, told journalists.

Russian forces would never use force against nuclear facilities, they would only protect them.

"They do not intervene in the operation of the nuclear facilities," he said.

In the eight-year conflict, Ukraine was repeatedly accused of wanting to internationalize the crisis in the country in order to mobilize the international community to intervene.

Warnings about the dangers surrounding the nuclear power plants have also recently come from Russia.

The Russian army, for example, announced that it quickly secured the Chernobyl facility after invading the country.

The Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is close to the Kremlin and subject to sanctions from the West, called for peace negotiations to contain the nuclear threat from Ukraine.

The country still has 15 nuclear units and three nuclear fuel storage facilities on its territory, he said.

He warned of major risks for Russia, Ukraine and Europe should a nuclear incident occur there.