Ukraine has urged people living near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant to evacuate their homes amid growing fears of an impending disaster.
There is concern that a Chernobyl-style disaster could strike at the Zaporizhia power plant amid ongoing fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Kyiv called again today for the creation of an international mission in the region, following a similar call from the United Nations yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk once again called on Russia to allow a “humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians from the temporarily occupied areas around the nuclear power plant.”
However, in a Telegram, he told people living nearby: Find a way to get to the territory (controlled by Kyiv).
Shortly after Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Russian forces occupied the factory.
But there have been repeated bombings in recent weeks, with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other for power problems and attacks that have raised a number of security concerns.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmigar called for new initiatives to allay concerns and “proposed the creation of an international mission with the participation of the European Union, the United Nations and other organizations.
“This will facilitate the withdrawal of Russian troops from the factory and about 30 kilometers.
The latest intervention came a day after the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report following a mission to the plant.
Shmigal stated that the investigation had “no concrete results”.
In the report, the IAEA called for the “immediate establishment of a nuclear safety and security protected area” around the nuclear plant, saying the current situation was “unsustainable.”
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The Ukrainian Atomic Energy Agency warned that an accident at a facility occupied by Russia would affect not only Ukraine but also neighboring countries.
Ukraine borders Russia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Belarus.
The plant had domestic power today, even after going offline on Monday.
Oleg Kolikov, now head of Ukraine’s Nuclear Security Agency, said the power plant might “have to use a diesel power plant to power the security system.”
He also warned that “it is very difficult to refuel with diesel in times of war.”
In that case, the main risk would be “a shortage of diesel, which could damage the active area of ​​the reactor and cause an accident with the release of radioactive elements into the environment,” Korikov added.
The exiled Ukrainian mayor of Enerkhodary, the main town with a power plant, said in a separate Telegram post that he was under attack by Russian forces and the town had no electricity.
Russia denies targeting civilians and accuses Kyiv of bombing a nuclear power plant.
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Source: Metro
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