Russia Plans To Evacuate 3,000 More Workers From Zaporizhia

JAKARTA - Russian troops plan to evacuate more than 3,000 workers from the city serving the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, resulting in an "extraordinary shortage" of personnel, the Ukrainian state-owned company Energoatom said on Wednesday.

Last week, UN nuclear power chief supervisor Rafael Grossi said the situation around Russia-controlled nuclear stations had become "dangerous potential" after officials stationed in Moscow began evacuating people from nearby areas.

Energoatom Ukraine said it had received information about preparations for the evacuation of about 3,100 people from the southern city of Energyhodar, including 2,700 workers who had signed contracts with the company founded by Russia.

"Russian colonizers have proven their inability to ensure the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as there is currently a huge shortage of personnel," the company said in a statement on the Telegram messaging service.

"Even Ukrainian workers who have signed an embarrassing contract will soon be 'vacuated'. And this will exacerbate already very urgent issues, in terms of having sufficient number of personnel to ensure the safety of PLTN (nuclear power plant) operations, even in the current shutdown conditions," the statement continued.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the report. Meanwhile, Russia did not immediately comment.

It is known that Ukraine is widely expected to launch a counter-attack to try to push Russian troops back, with a number of parties saying reclaiming the entire Zaporizhia region was one of its goals.

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia power plant days after President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Gunfights often occur near the facility, with each side blaming each other.