An administrative building is charred, but those of the reactors seem intact: AFP was able to visit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on Sunday, the largest in Ukraine and Europe, whose capture by the Russian army has aroused concern of the international community.
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Moscow forces took control in early March of this plant located in the city of Energodar (written Enerhodar, in Ukrainian) in southern Ukraine, separated by the waters of the Dnieper from the regional capital Zaporizhia, under Ukrainian control .
The clashes that took place there raised fears within the international community of a nuclear disaster similar to that which occurred in 1986 in Chernobyl.
During a press trip organized by the Russian army, AFP was able to observe the damage: the facade of a vast administrative building which served as a training center for the personnel of the plant is blackened by the flames and many windows are shattered.
But no trace of shooting or bombardment was visible on the six cubes surmounted by a red dome containing the reactors which began to be built in the 1980s.
Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency deemed the situation at the Zaporijjia power station “worrying”, to which its experts have not had access since it was taken over by Moscow.
The plant “is operating normally, in accordance with nuclear, radioactive and environmental standards”, however, assures on the spot Major General Valéri Vasiliev, specialist in nuclear and chemical issues, dispatched by Moscow to secure the site.
Displaying their casualness, none of the few soldiers standing guard behind piles of sandbags are wearing overalls, masks or any other protective equipment once morest radiation.
” Here, everything is fine ! trumpeted the new pro-Moscow mayor of Energodar, Andrei Shevtchik, who arrived at this post in the wake of the Russians.
“We are ready to sell electricity to Europe. Any buyer is welcome. It’s very cheap! “, he adds, before leaving aboard a gleaming SUV covered with Russian flags.
However, a great vagueness surrounds the operation of the plant, which continues to be provided by the Ukrainian teams.
AFP was unable to meet any of the site’s employees and the degree of coordination between them and the new owners of the premises is unclear.
Before the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, this plant had a capacity of 5,700 megawatts, enough to cover more than 20% of the country’s electricity needs.
