Ukraine evacuates nearly 5,000 workers from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

These workers will now contribute to the construction of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Plant.

Jul 19, 2024 - 21:25

Ukraine evacuates nearly 5,000 workers from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, said nearly 5,000 workers of the largest nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have been brought to Ukrainian-controlled territory, as per UkrInform.

The plant has been occupied by the Russian military since the early days of the war. The occupiers have not conducted necessary repairs and inspections at the plant, and the hired employees are not professional enough to maintain the station.

Moreover, Russia turned it into a military base and a tool for blackmailing Ukraine and Western countries.

In 2023, Russian troops abducted Serhii Potynh, a labor protection engineer of the Central Technical and Administrative Department of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, who stayed in Enerhodar and worked at the facility.
The engineer was subjected to torture in Russian captivity, said Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-run company responsible for the operation of all nuclear power plants in the country.

“To this date, we have evacuated nearly 5,000 people from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. They all work for Energoatom. These workers will be engaged in the construction of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Plant’s units,” stated Halushchenko.

Since February 2024, the Russians have prohibited workers remaining in the occupied territory from accessing the Zaporizhzhia NPP. According to Halushchenko, these workers continue to receive salaries, which are accumulating in their accounts.

Earlier, the minister urged the world not to allow Russia to use nuclear technology for blackmail and aggression at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting in Vienna.

Ukrainian minister at IAEA: Global nuclear safety at risk as Zaporizhzhia plant, biggest in EU, remains occupied

He claimed that Russia poses a threat to all countries around the globe as it disregards the IAEA primary requirements, including the withdrawal of military forces from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the removal of “Rosatom” representatives from the Ukrainian nuclear facility.

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