Dmytro Orlov meets news in the center of Zaporizhzhya, a city that usually has around 800,000 inhabitants and is located in the south-east of Ukraine. He is usually the mayor of Enerhodar, the town where most of the people who work at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant live. He tried to keep things going as mayor even after the Russian forces took control of his hometown at the beginning of March. In the end he had to give up, and now tries to help his city children as best he can from his exile in the county capital of Zaporizhzhya. – A small positive sign today is that it seems that we have managed to get water and electricity back to two of the districts in Enerhodar, says Orlov. Dmytro Orlov is the mayor of Enerhodar, the city where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is located. Photo: Lokman Ghorbani/news The visit from the IAEA has not calmed the situation But otherwise there is little positive to report about what is happening in and around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, a week after a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA was allowed to visit the facility. – The shooting has not stopped. Today, the building that houses the city administration was hit again. There was also damage to the city’s infrastructure. A delegation from the IAEA led by Rafael Grossi visited the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya on 1 September. Photo: IAEA / Reuters – Shooting and explosions were heard throughout the city, so the shooting continues day and night. It naturally creates fear in the population, says the mayor to news. There were great expectations for the visit. Last year, a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was finally allowed to visit the nuclear power plant. They determined that security is very poor due to fighting in the area. news’s Morten Jentoft together with Dmytro Orlov, in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine Photo: Lokman Ghorbani But mayor Dmytro Orlov sees few concrete improvements so far after the high-profile visit. – After the visit to the IAEA, the shooting has continued. People are scared and many are now trying to get away from the city. It is difficult to live without light and without water, and at the same time know that at any moment your house could be hit. It is impossible to accept living that way. He says that inside the nuclear power plant itself, the Ukrainian workers work under tremendous pressure, where they constantly have to deal with the threat that the fighting in the area could lead to operational problems, and again radioactive emissions. Russian forces have controlled Enerhodar and the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya since March. Photo: AP Two observers from the IAEA are now present on a permanent basis, but so far it has not been possible to implement what Dmytro Orlov and, among others, the UN have demanded: A demilitarized zone on and around the nuclear power plant where the Russian forces withdraw back. Dangerous evacuation – It is possible for the inhabitants of Enerhodar to get out of the city and here into Ukrainian-controlled territory, says Dmytro Orlov. But the Russian occupiers refuse to provide security guarantees along the so-called green corridors when a convoy of cars starts moving. – We have therefore seen examples of people being injured while trying to get out and, unfortunately, we have even had people who have been killed. – But the worst thing is that the Russian occupiers are using the nuclear power plant as a kind of fort to attack Ukrainian-controlled areas, says Orlov. On Friday, he is getting ready to welcome a new group of refugees from his hometown, which right now is one of the most dangerous areas in the bloody war in Ukraine.
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Mayor of Ukrainian nuclear plant – little has changed after IAEA visit – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
