The tension before the expected provocation reaches its zenith. "Mobile radiation laboratories seen in Mariupol and Enerhodar"

In the Russian-occupied cities of Mariupol and Enerhodar in southeastern Ukraine, Russian mobile laboratories for detecting radiation hazards have been spotted. The Ukrainian side warns against a Russian provocation at a nuclear power plant. Rosatom has already officially confirmed its plans for a possible explosion at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant this night.

Attention, provocation!

Earlier that day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned against a Russian provocation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which could happen any day.

On Tuesday, objects resembling explosives were placed on the roof of two power units of the power plant. Their explosion is not intended to damage the blocks, but is supposedly to illustrate shelling from Ukraine, which is falsely reported by Russian media.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine officially inform about the possible preparation of a provocation in the near future on the territory of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, occupied by Russian terrorists since March 4, 2022.

“Residents, prepare to evacuate”

Against the background of these warnings, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health issued instructions on how to proceed in the event of an explosion on the territory of the power plant. Residents of the potential area affected by the disaster are to be prepared for evacuation.

At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its latest communication does not mention such threats to power plants. Organization experts are on site. Based on their reports, the IAEA publishes messages regarding the situation at the facility.

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the Russians could cause a dangerous incident at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant to freeze hostilities. According to Zelensky, one of the scenarios considered by the enemy is to remotely detonate the power plant once it is in Ukrainian hands.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been occupied since early March last year. The aggressor's soldiers are stationed on its premises, and employees of the state-owned company Rosatom are also present there. In recent months, the invading army has repeatedly shelled the power plant area, thus creating – in the opinion of the authorities – a radiation threat with unpredictable consequences.

Nikopol, the city that lies just across the Dnipro

Many local officials have fallen into line, and last week communities across central Ukraine snapped into action and held emergency drills to prepare themselves for a disaster that the officials believe could spread a radioactive cloud over the entire area.

But here on the streets of Nikopol, the city that lies just across the Dnipro River from the Russian-occupied nuclear plant, its cooling towers poking up through the afternoon haze, the attitude is a little different.

“I’m not worried,” said Nadia Zhylina, a retired factory worker. “Not at all.”

As if Nikopol needed any more hardships, it ran out of water three weeks ago. When a major dam that was occupied by the Russians was suddenly destroyed, the reservoir that Nikopol and many other communities relied on ran dry. The city is now scrambling to provide residents with bottled water and water from other sources.