The Group of Seven of the world’s advanced economies condemned Russia’s kidnapping of the leadership of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station and called for the immediate return of full control of the facility to Kyiv.

“We condemn Russia’s repeated kidnapping of Ukrainian” Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “leadership and staff and denounce the application of other forms of pressure on remaining Ukrainian personnel,” the nonproliferation directors general of the G7 countries wrote in a statement on Saturday (22 October) evening. The group comprises of the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK.

They urged Russia “to immediately return full control” of the six-unit station, the largest in Europe, “to its rightful sovereign owner, Ukraine, to remove all Russian personnel from the facility, and to stop any attempts to recklessly and dangerously place” it under Russian administration “which could further jeopardise its safe and secure operations”.