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The head of the UN nuclear power watchdog warned on Saturday that the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was “potentially dangerous” as officials stationed in Moscow began evacuating people from nearby areas.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called for measures to ensure the safe operation of Europe’s largest nuclear plant as evacuations took place in the town of Enerhodar.
“The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” Grossi said on the agency’s website.
“I am deeply concerned about the real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. We must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident and the consequences associated with the population and the environment.”
The battle for territory is expected
Grossi said that while plant operations staff remain on site, the situation for personnel and their families is “increasingly tense.”
The governor of Russia-installed in the Moscow-controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine said on Friday that he had ordered the evacuation of villages near the front line as shelling has intensified in the area in recent days.
A Ukrainian spring counter-offensive against Russian forces is expected to take place in the Zaporizhzhia region, about 80 percent of which is held by Moscow.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday that residents were evacuated in the direction of Berdiansk and Prymorsk on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia factory days after President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of the neighbor in February 2022. Exchanges of fire have occurred frequently near the facility, with each side blaming the other.
Grossi last visited the Zaporizhzhia station, the largest nuclear power installation in Europe, in March, as part of an effort to talk with both sides to secure an agreement on safeguards to ensure the safe operation of the plant.
He has repeatedly warned of the dangers of military operations around the plant.
The plant is located in the part of the region under Russian control, with most of its staff operating in Enerhodar on the south bank of the Dnipro River.
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