It is "high time to stop playing with fire" around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned Thursday, CNN reports. 

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini urged "concrete measures" be taken "to protect this facility and others like it from any military operations."

"When hazardous sites become battlegrounds, the consequences for millions of people and the environment can be catastrophic and last many years," he said.

"In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult if not impossible to provide humanitarian assistance."