▲ Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant
Russian troops issued evacuation orders for several cities near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on the 5th local time, saying they were prepared for a possible Ukrainian attack.
Russian troops ordered evacuation to 18 cities in Zaporizhzhozhzhia, including Energizhodar.
"Over the past few days, the Red Army has intensified its shelling of cities close to the front line," said Yevgeny Valitsky, head of the pro-Russian administration of Zaporizhzhia, "and decided to evacuate all children and their parents, the elderly, the disabled, hospital patients."
About 660,1 residents, including 679 children, were evacuated over the weekend from areas near the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, Valitsky said, and they were now staying in temporary accommodation in Russian-held Berdymsk and elsewhere.
Since the Zaporizhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine was occupied by Russia in March last year, safety concerns have grown amid disputes over operational rights between the two countries as well as a spate of military activities such as shelling in the surrounding area.
It is not known if there was an actual Ukrainian attack near the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, but the evacuation order caused chaos in several places as several panicked residents evacuated over the weekend.
Ivan Fedorou, the mayor of Melitopol in exile in Ukraine, said on Telegram that it took five hours to get out of the city as thousands of evacuated vehicles left at once, as well as stocking up on medicines and necessities.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi also predicted that following the evacuation order, a full-scale battle between Ukraine and Russia could soon break out near the Zaporizhia nuclear plant.
"The military authorities decide to evacuate people because they have information or plans for possible future military operations," Grossi told the BBC.
Grossi worried that the reactors at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant were still loaded with nuclear material, even though they were not currently generating electricity.
(Photo=AP, Yonhap News)