Russia orders evacuation of civilians around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant amid warnings of ‘severe nuclear accident’
Anxiety about the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is growing after the Moscow-installed governor of the Ukrainian region where it is located ordered civilian evacuations.
Key points:
- Russian forces are ordering civilians to leave towns around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
- The evacuation zone includes Enerhodar, which is home to most of the plant’s staff
- IAEA head Rafael Mariano Grossi says the situation is “increasingly unpredictable”
Russian soldiers are evacuating people from Zaporizhzhia and 18 nearby towns, ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi has called on both Russia and Ukraine to ensure that there will be no fighting near the Zaporizhzhia plant to prevent what he calls “the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences”.
The towns and villages being evacuated include Enerhodar, which is home to most of the plant’s staff.
The Russia-backed governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia province, Yevgeny Balitsky, said more than 1,600 people, including more than 600 children had been evacuated as of Sunday.
The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the evacuation of Enerhodar was underway.
…………………………… Although none of the plant’s six reactors are operating because of the war, the station needs a reliable power supply for essential cooling systems. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-08/russia-orders-evacuations-around-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant/102316184
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