Zaporozhye nuclear power plant turned into a “military base” under Russian occupation

Ukrainian NPP Zaporozhye It has ceased generating electricity and is only a base for the Russian troops that occupied it a year ago, according to the exiled mayor of Energodar, the city where the giant complex stands.

The Russian army occupied the facilities on March 4, 2022, a few days after the invasion Ukraine.

“During this year of occupation, they turned the largest nuclear power plant in Europe into a military base,” he said. AFP Mayor Dmitry OrlovA 37-year-old who believes the Russians know “that the Ukrainian army will not shoot” at the site to avoid an accident.

According to him, the Russians use the plant as a “nuclear shield for the placement of military equipment, ammunition and personnel.”

At present, at least a thousand Russian servicemen are on site and on alert. energy giftwhere the population increased from 53,000 inhabitants to “about 15,000” in one year, according to the head of the municipality.

Although since April 2022 he has been living in St. Zaporozhyelocated 120 kilometers from Energodar, Orlov says he maintains regular contact with the residents left in the city.

Lack of staff

“Most of the occupying troops are based at the power plant because they feel safe there,” the mayor says.

The number of workers at the plant has dropped from 11,000 before the invasion to 6,500 today, he said. AFP Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom.

Thousands of employees fled to the territories controlled by Kyiv, and of those who remained, about 2,600 agreed to “cooperate with the aggressor” – the Russians, Energoatom reports.

“There is a real staffing problem that affects security,” says Orlov, who says the workers are under “pressure” from the Russians and forced to work in a reduced staff and without holidays.

The station, which previously produced 20% of Ukraine’s electricity, continued to operate during the first months of the invasion despite bombardments before being completely shut down in September.

Since then, none of its six VVER-1000 reactors since Soviet times, they produce electricity, but the installation remains connected to the Ukrainian power grid and consumes the electricity it produces for its own needs. (AFP)