The Russian Foreign Ministry has levelled harsh accusations against the United Nations (UN) regarding the escalating security crisis at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and warned the world was “on the precipice.”

“The UN has unfortunately played a negative role in the case at hand,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state radio station Sputnik.

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian troops since March, with Kiev and Moscow accusing each other of shelling the site as fears of disaster grow.

Ms Zakharova accused authorities at the United Nations of preventing an inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“In the UN Secretariat, which deals with problems of nuclear energy, including the consequences of technical disasters and the problem in its broadest sense, they should understand that the world is walking on the precipice,” Ms  Zakharova said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had already complained in a statement on Tuesday that a planned trip by IAEA representatives to the plant fell through at the last minute because of security concerns raised by the UN Secretariat.

Russia has requested a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday.

The council is to be briefed by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on the state of the nuclear plant. 

(dpa/NAN)