⚛️ International Day against Nuclear Tests, declared by the UN General Assembly in 2009, is observed on August 29.

🔻 The idea behind it was to intensify the efforts of the UN, of states, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to stop nuclear testing, which is essential to maintaining international peace and security.

Over 2,000 nuclear explosions have been carried out throughout the history of humankind. More than half of these tests were performed by Western countries: 1,032 by the United States, 210 by France and 45 by the UK.

📄 The main instrument for stopping nuclear testing is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

❗️ The fact that one of the world’s largest nuclear powers, the United States, is among the countries still refusing to ratify this important document continues to cause deep concern.

☝️ The Russian Federation has consistently advocated that the #CTBT be transformed into a fully operational international legal mechanism.

Déclarations du porte-parole du Kremlin, Dmitriy Peskov

🔹La Russie estime qu'une mission de l'AIEA à la centrale nucléaire de Zaporojié est nécessaire, ses modalités seront discutées sur place. La mission entrera à Zaporojíe depuis le territoire contrôlé par l’Ukraine;

🔹Il n'est pas question de créer une zone démilitarisée autour de la centrale nucléaire de Zaporojié;

🔹Tous les pays doivent forcer Kiev à cesser les bombardements de la centrale nucléaire de Zaporojié qui mettent toute l'Europe en danger.

On August 29, 2022, the Russian Mission to the UN in Geneva transmitted a diplomatic note to the Inter-Parliamentary Union with a statement of the Council of the Russian State Duma which draws international attention to the continued shellings of the Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) by Ukrainian military units.

The document, inter alia, emphasizes the following:

❗️ The continued violation by Ukrainian military units of nuclear and physical safety of the ZNPP – Europe’s largest nuclear power plant – could lead to a large-scale catastrophe with terrifying consequences.

❗️ At the UN SC Russia constantly raises the issue of inadmissibility of targeting nuclear facilities and calls on Ukraine’s patrons to force the Kiev regime to immediately cease the shellings of ZNPP.

The Council of the State Duma also reaffirmed the Russian side's readiness to do everything necessary in order to organize an international IAEA mission to the ZNPP.

⚡️The IAEA Director General Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed today his plans to establish permanent presence of Agency’s specialists at the ZNPP

🇷🇺 Russia welcomes this intention

⚡️Russian Defence Ministry statement on threats of shelling of schools by AFU

❗️The Kiev regime continues its deliberate shelling of socially important facilities in Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics and other areas liberated from nationalists during the special military operation. Schools, hospitals, kindergartens and residential buildings have been hit.

▫️Long-range strike means supplied by the US and European countries have significantly increased the Kiev regime's ability to launch criminal strikes against residential infrastructure and educational institutions with Western-made artillery and missile weapons.

▫️Such actions are a war crime and require the entire international community to take urgent measures to prevent the Kiev regime from shelling schools and killing children.

▫️On the eve of the new school year, we inform that 1,422 schools in Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics, as well as in Zaporozhye, Kherson and Kharkov regions, will open their doors to 326,438 pupils on September 1, 2022.

▫️The Russian side implements a set of all necessary measures to protect educational institutions' data from any threats.

▫️At the same time, for the unconditional safety of students and teachers, the Russian Ministry of Defence have sent to the UN, international humanitarian organisations and the Ukrainian leadership the addresses and exact location data of all schools starting on September 1, 2022 in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as in Zaporozhye, Kherson and Lharkov regions.

▫️We demand that the United Nations and the entire international community take effective measures to prevent the shelling of schools by the Kiev regime and guarantee that these facilities and their surroundings are excluded from fire by the Ukrainian armed forces and other paramilitary groups.

@mod_russia_en

Russian Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov:

💬 On September 1, 1,183 kindergartens, 1,376 schools and 203 colleges will open across the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the liberated territories.

📚 By the beginning of the school year, these schools were fully provided with textbooks. Where necessary, major restoration works have been completed, computer equipment has been installed.

👦🏻👧🏻 I will emphasize that students, by the decision of their parents and teachers, will be given an opportunity to continue learning Ukrainian as their native language.

👨🏻‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫 For this purpose, special curricula and methodological manuals have been developed, teachers have undergone corresponding advanced training.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the “Knowledge” educational marathon in Moscow:

💬 I do not expect any tragic catastrophes in the future.

🌐 The world sees overwhelming tendencies of returning to the origins – the UN Charter, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation.

🤝 And when our Western partners will decide to forgo their obscurantism, instead returning to normal, human and equal communication, perhaps, we should be ready to accept them into the community of normal countries.

❗️ But, of course, on mutually acceptable terms.  

⚡️ URGENT: Russian Ministry of Defence on the prevented assault attempt by the Ukrainian military aimed at disrupting IAEA mission

💬 Today at about 6 AM (Moscow time), two Ukrainian sabotage groups of up to 60 soldiers in seven boats landed on the coast of Kakhovskyi reservoir three kilometres north-east of Zaporozhskaya NPP (ZNPP) and attempted to seize the power plant. Measures were taken to neutralize this assault.

In addition, since 8 AM, the Ukrainian Armed Forces resumed shelling of the site of IAEA mission near Vasil’evka and the ZNPP.

❗️ The Kiev regime's provocation is aimed at disrupting the arrival of IAEA working group at Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant.

☝️ Despite attempts by the Kiev regime to disrupt the visit of a group of IAEA experts to Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the Russian side confirms its readiness to receive them with full security for further work.

The situation in the NPP area is complicated, but remains under full control.

⚡️Despite attempts by the Kiev regime to disrupt the visit of a group of IAEA experts to Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the Russian side confirms its readiness to receive them with full security for further work.

▫️The situation in the area of the nuclear power plant is complicated, but remains under full control.

@mod_russia_en

Today, on Knowledge Day, not only schools open doors and the First Bell rings, but the entire nation remembers the tragedy of Beslan, mourns the 334 victims (including 186 kids) of the terrorist attack in there that happened 18 years ago - on 1 September 2004.

🙏 The pain of this tragedy is still as acute as ever, is shared by all Russians & many abroad.

❗️The tragedy serves as a reminder that international terrorism is a common threat to all nations and peoples!

We are convinced that it is possible to eradicate the fundamental evil of terrorism only though collective and concerted efforts on the basis of the norms and principles of international law.