Russian-backed authorities in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia oblast have ordered the evacuation from areas that are threatened with shelling, including Enerhodar, the town where the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is located.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed acting governor of Zaporizhzhia, said about 70,000 people in 18 towns and villages would be relocated due to intensified shelling. The evacuation order comes as Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive that is expected to be focused on Russian-controlled territory in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
“We believe that a counteroffensive will begin very soon. We have information from the line of contact, up to 150 kilometers deep, and we realize that it can happen in the coming days, if not hours,” Balitsky said on Friday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a presence at the ZNPP and said its experts were aware of the evacuation of Enerhodar. The agency also warned the situation at the ZNPP is becoming “increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous.”
“Iβm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant,” said IAEA Director General Rafel Grossi. The ZNPP has been controlled by Russia since March 2022 and has been the site of frequent shelling throughout the war, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
According to The Times of London, the Ukrainian forces attempted a cross-river raid to recapture the ZNPP, which is on the east bank of the Dnieper River, that was thwarted by Russia. The US backed the attack by providing targeting data for the HIMARS rocket systems.
The precaution seems warranted. Ukraine has launched several attacks against the nuclear complex at Enerhodar. If a massive counter-offensive should occur there, the odds of compromising the cooling systems would be very high. The plant would then become a dirty bomb, and there is little doubt that team Biden would use such an incident to rationalize another escalation.
here is a headline from dailymail.uk =
Putin evacuates towns near Ukrainian nuclear power plant which his troops have filled with EXPLOSIVES and artillery – with the UN warning of ‘severe’ threat of a deadly accident
i wonder how many people believe that Putin would actually sabotage a nuclear plant. i don’t believe that he would do that. i think that if that’s the kind of guy that Putin is then he would have already crushed the Ukrainian people and it would be over by now.
I’m inclined to agree.
You must not understand international relations then.
The daily mail and the rest of Britain’s so-called media have pooped their pants from the start. Nothing has changed. British news coverage is pure fiction and propaganda.
Still America’s poodle.
Without commenting on this particular headline, Media Bias says this of “Daily Mail”: A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda /conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news.
Well there is some reason to believe that the Russians might just sabotage the nuclear power pland, simply because they have threatened to do so:
https://www.power-technology.com/news/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-ukraine-russia-invasion/
Which way does the wind blow? From the east to the west or from the west to the east?
Given its location (deep inside Ukraine) it would predominantly hit Ukrainian territory – but for some scenarios see:
https://twitter.com/myroslavapetsa/status/1560225360209494017
It all depends on Mother Nature and how the winds will blow. My guess is they will blow to the east.
Even if blowing east it’s almost 300 Km to the Russian border, winds are far too shifty for any sane person to gamble on destroying 290 Km of Ukraine to potentially get at some Russian territory – not to mention that it would remain a huge drain on Ukraine’s power generation and a large pollution of important Ukrainian agricultural lands.
To put it in simple terms it would be a very poor return on investment as in very little damage to Russia for very large damages to Ukraine.
I’m not sure the source, a commander, would be allowed to decide to destroy the complex he’s supposed to be protecting. But it makes sense to destroy infrastructure necessary to restore operations. Still, I doubt that Russia would intentionally compromise the fuel rods, even if they were forced to evacuate.
Nor am I, but the fact that a commander on the ground would threaten to do so justifies the rest of us worrying.
No it does not, the Ukrainians did not sabotage the plant when yielding the territory, any interference with the stability and security of a NPP is a clear demonstration of ones disregard for the well being of the civilian population.
If they interfere with the power generation for cooling the powerplant and the spend fuel rods will risk a melt down.
I agree that a commander’s threat should be taken seriously.
Russia can take several steps to prevent a restart without risking a release of radiation. Ukraine didn’t do that because the reactor was active and because they need to keep the lights on.
It is my understanding that the cooling systems are being run by diesel power at this time.
Mine too.
Sure if they have the expertise but doin so is not going to win them many hearts or minds and not hurt current Ukrainian war production – so little to gain for a lot of bad publicity – in other words a good way to indicate that they are really expecting to lose this war and now only going by the scorched earth approach when on the retreat – not great optics – but I would not be surprised to see it either.
Russia built the Enerhodar reactor complex. They have the expertise to make it inoperable without releasing radiation.
As you know, Ukraine is still struggling from the destruction of their electrical grid. So, I think keeping this reactor complex offline ππππ impede Ukrainian war production. It also prevents Ukraine from selling electricity to Europe.
I doubt that Russia is expecting to lose this war. But Ukraine has made several very serious attempts to take back this site. I think they are saying “If we can’t have it, nobody can have it.”
That is literally how you have just described the Russians would/should act.
Not saying it’s right. But yes. I think that’s how it is.
Well as I said doing so is very unlikely to win any hearts of minds, and it is demonstrating that the Russian are not expecting to be able to take that territory again in any fairly close future. So while not outright defeatist, the soldiers will get the message fairly clearly.
That is literally how you have just described the Russians would/should act.
Ukraine/ puppets of the USA are being forced into this dangerous “offensive” in order to be supplied with more Western weapons to continue a proxy war damaging Russians but especially themselves.
And all of Europe
Grossi is so gross. …How gross is he? He will be the first to blame Russia when Ukraine blows up the nuclear power plant. …What’s that? I don’t know what I’m talking about? I agree, but βeven a broken clock is right twice a day,β and even a broken clock has never been wrong about how gross is Grossi. (Sarcasm alert)
according to that map Zaporizhzhia is under control of Ukraine forces. in fact the front line appears to be right down the middle of that water all the way to the ocean. is that just wishful thinking on the mapmaker’s part? because any military leader in his right mind should have immediately secured and occupied all of that territory especially the nuclear power plant – and also the Odessa territory.
Zaporizhzhia is under Ukrainian control it was never taken by the Russians – the Zaporizhzhia NPP is located in Energodar on the south (and sometimes eastern) side of Dnieper south east of Nikopol – if you click on the map you will get an enlarged view – so no that is not wishful thinking, while the Russians still managed to take control of the NPP.
The Russians certainly tried to take control of the Odessa territory but were stopped short of that goal just east of Mykolaiv – they also ran short of steam before reaching Zaporizhzhia.
If Grossi is actually that concerned, he needs to get his ass off his chair and dial up the buffoons in Kiev.
Russia is wisely temporarily removing citizens from areas that may be at risk from the Ukranian / Russian militaries, if there is a Ukrainian offensive.
Once hostilities stop, they will presumably return to their homes.
It’s all very logical and in fact what would be expected.
That’s the story. Nothing more to it.