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ZAPORIZHZHIA: Ukrainian city authorities Zaporizhia Nearby Europe’s largest nuclear plant, under Russian control, said Thursday they were preparing for “the worst” as fears of sabotage mounted.
Kiev and Moscow accused each other this week of planning an accident at the factory that fell into the hands of Russian forces at the start of their invasion that began in February last year.
Kiev said Russia had placed explosives at the factory and the president Volodymyr Zelensky Urge the international community to intervene.
Ukraine’s military said on Thursday that tensions had “reduced” at the plant thanks to the armed forces and diplomatic efforts with foreign assistance.
But in Zaporozhye, a city with a pre-war population of about 750,000 people just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the plant, authorities and residents are preparing in the event of a radioactive leak.
Memories of the Chernobyl disaster – which hit Ukraine in 1986 – still haunt the war-torn country.
“It’s a big threat,” Olenna said jock“The people are preparing, the government is preparing,” the head of the Zaporizhia regional council told AFP.
At the end of June, the city authorities conducted an exercise simulating the mass evacuation of 138,000 people living within 50 kilometers of the plant.
This would be the “worst-case scenario,” Jok said.
She said authorities would initiate different responses based on the “type” of the incident at the plant, adding that the potential repercussions could be “local, very local or not local”.
She said she believed Russia could stage an incident if Kiev’s forces advanced into the area in their counter-attack.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Health issued a statement to follow up on evacuation orders “in the event of an explosion.”
She said that residents most exposed to the radiation threat could be informed of evacuation points.
Kiev has been advancing since early June on several sectors of the front, including to the east of the power station.
Meanwhile, Moscow has accused Ukraine of planning “sabotage” and strikes on the nuclear power plant.
Kiev and Moscow accused each other this week of planning an accident at the factory that fell into the hands of Russian forces at the start of their invasion that began in February last year.
Kiev said Russia had placed explosives at the factory and the president Volodymyr Zelensky Urge the international community to intervene.
Ukraine’s military said on Thursday that tensions had “reduced” at the plant thanks to the armed forces and diplomatic efforts with foreign assistance.
But in Zaporozhye, a city with a pre-war population of about 750,000 people just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the plant, authorities and residents are preparing in the event of a radioactive leak.
Memories of the Chernobyl disaster – which hit Ukraine in 1986 – still haunt the war-torn country.
“It’s a big threat,” Olenna said jock“The people are preparing, the government is preparing,” the head of the Zaporizhia regional council told AFP.
At the end of June, the city authorities conducted an exercise simulating the mass evacuation of 138,000 people living within 50 kilometers of the plant.
This would be the “worst-case scenario,” Jok said.
She said authorities would initiate different responses based on the “type” of the incident at the plant, adding that the potential repercussions could be “local, very local or not local”.
She said she believed Russia could stage an incident if Kiev’s forces advanced into the area in their counter-attack.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Health issued a statement to follow up on evacuation orders “in the event of an explosion.”
She said that residents most exposed to the radiation threat could be informed of evacuation points.
Kiev has been advancing since early June on several sectors of the front, including to the east of the power station.
Meanwhile, Moscow has accused Ukraine of planning “sabotage” and strikes on the nuclear power plant.
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