A view of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, in Energodar, currently under Russian control and experiencing shelling by Ukrainian Armed Forces. Photo: Dmytro Smolyenko.
Former and current employees of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, located in the town of Energodar, are calling on the Ukrainian authorities to stop attacking the plant with missiles. Video messages from these current and former emplyees were uploaded to the power station’s Telegram channel.
Vlad Lavrik, a former employee of the plant, said that the Ukrainian military has attacked “the nuclear waste storage facility” and the plant’s “switchgear,” as well as a holiday village during a festival. In this context, he called on Ukrainian soldiers to think before firing towards Energodar.
Another former employee of the plant urged the Kiev authorities to “end this outrage,” “give up weapons” and “not to provoke a global crisis.” “Stop, otherwise it will be irreparable,” he warned.
A current employee said, “I appeal to the decision-makers from the other side of Dnepr: please stop. Your actions are so reckless and dangerous that they could lead to an international catastrophe.”
Vladimir Martinyuk, a former employee of the nuclear power plant, explained that all the missiles falling even 20-30 kilometers from the facility are dangerous, as the city and the plant are built on sand. “Sand can move because of vibrations, and the safety of the nuclear power plant depends on the displacement of that sand. And any open hostility… can lead to a tragedy,” he said.
Zaporozhye is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe with six power units. The first of them was commissioned in December 1984, while the sixth one was commissioned in October 1995. The province of Zaporozhye, in which the plant is located, is currently under partial control of Russian forces.
Attacks on the power plant have intensified in August. Last Monday, August 15, local authorities reported that Ukraine “fired massive artillery shells” towards Energodar, causing explosions near the plant.
On Thursday, August 18, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the objectives of the shelling of the plant by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are to create an exclusion zone of up to 30 kilometers and to accuse Russia of nuclear terrorism.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/AF
