Russians Imprison at Least 13 Zaporizhzhia NPP Workers

The national energy company Energoatom is calling for the deoccupation of the plant and the release of its workers.

At least thirteen workers of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which has been under Russian occupation since March 2022, have been deprived of their freedom, the national energy company Energoatom reported, stressing the importance of returning the Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukrainian control.

The company noted that from the first days of the seizure of the plant, the Russians began unprecedented pressure on nuclear workers who refused to side with the enemy and sign “contracts” with Rosatom. In the end, about five thousand specialists were able to leave the occupied Energodar, but not all of them.

Thus, the Russians have already “convicted” seven workers, and three more are under arrest awaiting “sentences.” At the same time, the fate of three more remains unknown – they are considered missing.

“In addition, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia tortured to death the diver of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Andriy Honcharuk,” Energoatom reminded.

“All illegally deprived nuclear workers must be immediately released from Russian captivity. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant must immediately pass under the control of its legal operator, Energoatom, and Russia must withdraw its military and military equipment from the plant. This is the only way to restore the nuclear and radiation safety of the entire continent,” the company emphasizes.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Energodar has been under occupation since March 2022. It is currently operating in a guarded mode and does not generate electricity. However, the plant has already experienced several blackouts, and the containment tank has become significantly shallower after the dam of the Kakhovka reservoir was blown up, which poses a threat to the nuclear safety of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant.

The situation at the power plant is quite complex and very risky for nuclear safety. In particular, Russia has hired more than 2,000 “workers” from the street to work at the plant, without the appropriate experience and qualifications.