Russia has ordered the evacuation of thousands of civilians from towns and villages which are near to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant which has six reactors.
There is a real “threat of a severe nuclear accident” which was last seen in 1986 when there was a nuclear accident following an explosion at Chernobyl which affected many parts of Europe.
The evacuation is also affecting Enerhodar near to the city of Zaporizhzhia where the nuclear power plant where there is utter chaos and traffic queues lasting hours as people are fleeing in their droves.
Russian-installed governor Yevgeny Balitsky has said that almost 1,700 people have been evacuated and around 660 children have been placed into temporary accommodation on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Read more on Russia-Ukraine war:
UN concerned over ‘threat of a severe nuclear accident’ as Russian forces evacuate civilians near Europe’s largest nuclear facility
Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has said the real reason why the Russians are fleeing and evacuating civilians is because shops and hospitals have run out of supplies.
Patients are being discharged on to the streets over fears energy supplies will be cut off from Ukraine when an attack is launched.
Fedorov said, “The humanitarian catastrophe caused by the sick fantasy of the Rashists [‘Russian fascists’] is no less real.”
He added, “The partial evacuation they announced is going too fast, and there is a possibility that they may be preparing for provocations and (for that reason) focusing on civilians.”
Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov: “evacuation” from parts of Zaporizhzhia region is a cover-up for possible provocations, inducing panic and transferring soldiers under the humanitarian cover. pic.twitter.com/Nu9Jyzizaj
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 7, 2023
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi has expressed “extreme concern” for the safety at the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia plant and has called for immediate action to “prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident” which would be catastrophic for the whole of Europe.
Grossi has expressed further “concerns” as they have “received information” that Russian occupied forces have started to evacuate civilians from Enerhodar near to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant as Kyiv’s counteroffensive is due to start.
Grossi said the true scale of the evacuation is not known and said, “I’m extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant.”
He then warned that “we must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident.”
In a statement the IAEA said, “while operating staff remain at the site, Director General Rafael Grossi expressed deep concern about the increasingly tense, stressful, and challenging conditions for personnel and their families.”
