The shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) is reckless and dangerous, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said.

"We also remain deeply concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The reported shelling at the plant over the weekend is reckless and deplorable. I underscore the risks of these attacks," she said during a meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine.

According to DiCarlo, "all military activities at, and around, the plant must cease immediately."

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, made a call on Sunday to immediately stop the shelling of the Zaporizhia NPP. In his statement, it was said that the agency's experts, following the inspection of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after the recent shelling, did not register a direct threat to nuclear safety.

However, according to Grossi, the shelling of the plant last Saturday and Sunday was the most serious incident in recent months.

On Wednesday, Grossi said the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant had once again lost access to off-site power and was now relying on its emergency diesel generators to generate the power needed to cool the reactor and perform other critical nuclear safety functions.

The Zaporizhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, it has six VVER-1000 power units.