The shelling of Europe's largest power plant has been described as a "crime against humanity" by Chernobyl Children International.

The Zaporizhzhia station in Ukraine produces around 20% of Ukraine's electricity and is currently being held as a weapon of war after the shelling on Friday.

Russian officials have denied liability, accusing Ukrainian forces of shelling their own facility - saying a radiation leak has been avoided only by luck.

The UN's nuclear watchdog warned that there is a 'very real risk of nuclear disaster' as the shelling resulted in one of the plant's reactors shutting down.

"Playing with a loaded gun"

Adi Roche of Chernobyl Children International told Newstalk: "This is a crime against humanity because they are holding the world to ransom."

She explained why this development in the conflict is so dangerous.

"This is the first time it's happened as a weapon of war."

"From the moment the invading country came through Belerus into the Chernobyl exclusion zone, taking over the nuclear plant, we said that this has changed the nature of modern warfare."

"Until this point, in all of the wars, nuclear facilities were off limits."

Ms Roche said that this development could potentially have catastrophic effects not only for Ukraine, but for the world.

"What we're seeing now with this latest shelling is that humanity is playing really with a loaded gun."

Blockade

This week a grain ship left Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded in February.

Ukraine has long been a huge exporter of grain to global markets and as long ago as February economists warned that the conflict could send global food prices soaring.

However, the invasion meant Russia was able to blockade the country’s ports and Ukraine was unable to export its produce.

After months of negotiations led by Turkey and the United Nations, Moscow agreed to allow trade to resume for 120 days, provided Turkey inspect vessels to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Ukraine.

“We know that Vladimir Putin is targeting food production, food stores, food producing equipment in his attacks in Ukraine,” Commissioner McGuinness told The Anton Savage Show in May.

“He’s hitting farm yards and silos and all of those things and that, in my view, is a deliberate effort to reduce the supply of vital grain for the global market, hitting the most vulnerable and therefore causing disruption and social unrest.”

Main image shows a satellite view of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Picture by: Naeblys/Alamy