The Russians occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are breaking all safety rules. This is evidenced by the situation on Monday – soldiers forcibly took away the passes of two employees of the plant and entered the radiation zone, disregarding the procedures in place. The incident was reported by the Ukrainian company Enerhoatom.
Enerhoatom said in a communiqué that the Russians were not wearing any protective clothing when entering the vulnerable zones.
“If the invaders had only put themselves at risk (and they were completely unharmed), then one could say: ‘what an unpleasant suicide.’ In this case, however, they could have spread radioactive particles on their clothes all over the plant site and its surroundings. What’s more, no one knows what the occupants might have still brought there and left behind – weapons, explosives. And this is already a direct threat to nuclear safety,” Enerhoatom conveyed, which announced that it would report that to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
On 4 March 2022, both plants were captured by Russian forces during the Battle of Enerhodar of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. As of 12 March 2022, the plant is reportedly controlled by the Russian company Rosatom. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian company has so far controlled the facility in terms of its operation and maintenance.