IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the situation in the area of the Zaporizhzhya NPP is becoming “more unpredictable and potentially dangerous” due to the increase in the number of Russian military at the station, constant shelling and the evacuation of Energodar residents, which was announced by the occupiers.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
At the same time, ZNPP personnel are not evacuated. Grossi added that the IAEA monitors the removal of residents of the city.
The head of the press center of the Southern Defense Forces, Natalya Gumenyuk, said that the occupiers, under the pretext of “evacuation”, are taking the population of the temporarily occupied territories to those places where Russian troops are trying to place their equipment and units in order to provide them with cover.
In Energodar, meanwhile, fuel has run out since yesterday at gas stations, ATMs do not work. The internet also went down.
The staff serving the Zaporozhye NPP remains in place, despite the evacuation of Energodar residents. However, IAEA experts noticed an increase in military presence and activity near the nuclear power plant.
This may be an informational and psychological measure in order to show, in the event of a successful counteroffensive, Russia’s readiness for provocations at the station and the creation of a situation of a man-made disaster.
The mayor of the temporarily occupied Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, wrote on May 7 that in the occupied part of the Zaporozhye region, a crazy panic began after the Russians announced that they were evacuating.
Recall that on Friday the Russians told people to leave 18 settlements, including Energodar near the ZNPP. The evacuation was explained by “tightening the shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
According to Ivan Fedorov, on the road from Melitopol to the Crimea, “crazy queues” formed from cars standing there for hours. The mayor suggests that Russia may resort to provocations.
He says that in the settlements where the evacuation was announced, a humanitarian crisis is growing – people are trying to buy medicines and food, but the goods are not being delivered, and somewhere you can’t even buy bread.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.