- Zelenskyy said the world can't 'feel safe' about Russia's nuclear arsenal or technology.
- Russian forces have been accused of reckless attacks near Ukraine's nuclear plants, including Chernobyl.
- A nuclear watchdog previously expressed concern after Russian forces captured a nuclear plant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the global community to take control of Russia's nuclear arsenal, saying 'no one in the world can feel safe' after reckless attacks from Russian forces near Ukraine's nuclear power plants.
"After all that the Russian military has done in the Chernobyl zone and at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, no one in the world can feel safe knowing how many nuclear facilities, nuclear weapons and related technologies the Russian state has," Zelenskyy said in a Tuesday night video address posted to his Telegram channel.
But, Zelenskyy's request for global oversight of Russia's nuclear weapons is almost certainly a non-starter, as it's unlikely Russian President Vladimir Putin would cede control of the country's vast stockpile of warheads.
Russian troops seized Chernobyl — the site of a 1986 nuclear disaster near Ukraine's northern border with Belarus — shortly after the February 24 invasion, and eventually retreated from the decommissioned nuclear plant in late March.
Ukrainian officials accused troops of preventing Chernobyl teams from doing their required work to keep the highly radioactive site safe, as well as digging trenches and disturbing radioactive dust and dirt at the site.
Southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the largest in Europe — was captured by Russian forces after intense fighting with Ukrainian troops in early March.
Zelenskyy added in his Tuesday speech that Russia recently launched missiles over three of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, including Zaporizhzhia.
Western officials have slammed Russia for being irresponsible in bringing the conflict close to Ukraine's nuclear plants, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has previously expressed concern over nuclear safety after Russian forces seized Zaporizhzhia.
Russia has also been accused of being provocative with its rhetoric around the potential use of nuclear weapons amid its war against Ukraine; even Chinese officials have urged "restraint" after Russia's foreign minister raised the prospect of nuclear war.