KYIV: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has expressed concern about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after the governor of the Russian-occupied region ordered the evacuation of the town where the majority of the plant workers resided due to continued Russian attacks.
The facility is close to the front lines of battle. On Sunday, Ukrainian authorities said that more than 30 munitions were launched by Russian forces towards the nearby Ukrainian-held town of Nikopol, killing one person and injuring three others, according to Associated Press.
Grossi issued the alert on Saturday, saying, “the general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous.”
“I am concerned about the plant’s genuine nuclear safety and security threats.”
Grossi’s remarks come after Yevgeny Balitsky, the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia province’s Russian-installed governor, said on Friday that he had ordered the evacuation of civilians from 18 settlements nearby, including Enerhodar, which is close to the continent’s biggest power plant.
The impacted communities are located between 50 and 70 kilometres (30 and 40 miles) from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict’s front line, and according to Balitsky, Ukraine has been stepping up its attacks there over the past several days.
Additionally, the area is largely believed to be where Ukraine would most likely concentrate its planned spring counteroffensive.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian General Staff said that Enerhodar’s evacuation had already started.
In a Facebook update, the General Staff stated that once Moscow gained control of the town early in the conflict, those who had acquired Russian citizenship were the first occupants to leave.
They were being transported to the 200 kilometres (120 miles) southeast coast of the Azov Sea, which is under Russian control.
Although most of the nuclear power plant’s operating staff resided in Enerhodar and had not been evacuated as of Saturday, according to Grossi, the situation has created “increasingly tense, stressful, and challenging conditions for personnel and their families.”
All six of the plant’s reactors are currently in shutdown mode.
IAEA personnel at the nuclear facility, he continued, “are continuing to hear shelling on a regular basis.”
The threat of a serious nuclear disaster and its ensuing effects on the populace and the environment, according to Grossi, must be prevent immediately.
“This important nuclear facility needs to be safeguarded. I’ll keep pushing for everyone to work together to fulfil this crucial goal for the sake of the “el and their families.”
