Photo: AP/DPA/PICTURE ALLIANCE / Deutsche Welle
“The risks of disaster increase every day” in the Ukrainian plant of Zaporizhia, which Russians and Ukrainians have accused each other of bombing for more than a week, warned this Sunday (14..2022) the mayor of the city where the plant is located.
“What is happening is terrorism pure and simple nuclear power”, practiced by Russia, and “this can end in an unpredictable way at any time”, said Dmitro Orlov, mayor of the city of Energodar.
The Zaporizhia power plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March (a few weeks after the start of the invasion of Ukraine) and kyiv accuses Moscow of having stationed hundreds of soldiers there and of storing weapons.
He also affirms that Russia is bombing sectors of the plant to blame the shooting on the Ukrainian troops.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky accused on Saturday to Russia of nuclear “blackmail” against his country and against the entire “free world”.
Energoatom recommends abandoning Energodar
Zelensky assured that the Russian forces are “hiding” in the plant to bomb the towns of Nikopol and Marganets, which are under Ukrainian control.
The Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom recommended that the residents of Energodar leave their homes as soon as possible.
“According to residents, there are new bombardments in the direction of the nuclear plant,” the nuclear operator said on Saturday.
But the pro-Russian authorities in the occupied areas of Zaporizhia they blame the Ukrainian forces for the attacks.
“ Energodar and the Zaporizhia nuclear plant 62712616 are again under attack by Zelensky militiamen,” he said. Vladimir Rogov, member of the administration installed by Moscow in that region.
The missiles fell “in areas located on the banks of the Dnipro River and in the plant”, he assured, without reporting casualties or damage. That river divides the areas controlled by Russia and Ukraine.