Washington deeply concerned that Moscow is using the plant as a military base.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday called Russia’s actions around Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant “the height of irresponsibility,” accusing Moscow of using it as a “nuclear shield” in attacks on Ukrainian forces.

Russia in March was accused of firing shells dangerously close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as its forces took it over in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine.

Washington is “deeply concerned” that Moscow was now using the plant as a military base and firing on Ukrainian forces from around it, Blinken told reporters after nuclear nonproliferation talks at the United Nations in New York.

Of course the Ukrainians cannot fire back lest there be a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant, he said.

Russia’s actions went beyond using a “human shield,” Blinken said, calling it a “nuclear shield.”

The Russian mission to the United Nations in New York rejected Blinken’s accusations.