Workers from Zaporizhzhia facility describe disappearances at hands of Russian soldiers and fear of nuclear holocaust
August 15, 2022 at 3:15 pm EDT Young men swim in the Dnieper River on August 15, opposite the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex, which is under the control of Russian forces. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post) Placeholder when loading article actions ZAPORIZJIA, Ukraine — There is no warning when an impending fire hits the grounds of Europe’s largest nuclear plant, sending workers scrambling for cover. “It’s kaboom — then everyone runs,” said one official, texting from Enerhodar, the Russian-controlled city on the banks of the Dnieper River where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located. Another employee, who sometimes works suspended from the ground to repair equipment, said the vibrations are often so strong from incoming Russian artillery fire that managers force him to stop working. The workers were among six from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant who spoke to the Washington Post, describing the daily horror of working at the nuclear facility that Russia has used as a shield for its attacks in recent weeks. Five of them had fled to Ukrainian territory in recent days and weeks as engineers and operations staff joined the columns of departing cars, adding worker shortages to a long list of concerns about the plant’s operations. Their accounts provide a window into the worsening safety situation at the plant, which has sparked global concerns about the possibility of a nuclear disaster. Some Ukrainian officials say inciting panic could be precisely Moscow’s goal, in the hope that international pressure will force Kyiv to make territorial concessions. Others say they fear Russia is setting the stage for a “false flag” attack blamed on Ukrainian forces. For staff, this adds another layer of danger and fear to an already extreme working environment since Russian troops seized the factory six months ago. Since then, staff members have disappeared, camera phones have been banned and representatives of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear company, have been present at company meetings. “Everything has changed, our lives have been turned upside down,” said Svitlana, 53, who worked as an accountant at the factory, as she and her extended family arrived in the Ukrainian territory south of Zaporizhia. The 75-mile journey takes families up to four or five days, with heavy traffic at Russian checkpoints where soldiers search cars and phones. “You’re constantly working under pressure,” he said. There are few residents of Enerhodar, a town of around 50,000 before the war, who do not have some sort of connection to the nuclear power plant. The city, whose name means “Gift of Energy”, was built in 1970 by the Soviet Union for families of workers at the city’s coal-fired power station on the river. The nuclear plant, whose site covers about half a square mile, was added 10 years later. The six pressurized light water reactors can be seen on the horizon from Ukrainian-controlled territory just three miles across the river, which has come under heavy shelling in recent weeks. Latest updates from the Ukraine war On the evening of March 3, as Russian forces stormed the nuclear plant, workers huddled over laptops and TV screens to watch grainy security camera footage of the plant being attacked, broadcast live by its management. “We were watching everything online,” said the employee who was working on servicing equipment. He, like others, did not want his name published because of risks to his safety and his job. “My first concern was for the staff who were there and then also the consequences.” He was back at work the next afternoon. “The only difference was our state of mind and their security at the entrance to the plant,” he said, adding that there was also a tank parked outside one of the reactors. Russian guards told them they were only allowed to go into the reactor unit where they worked. Access to the roof areas was prohibited without special permission from Rosatom managers, the worker said. Rosatom, the Russian nuclear power company, has denied that it has taken over the day-to-day operations of the plant, but has acknowledged that it has a team on site. Relatives of some of the workers have complained of being unable to contact their loved ones, who have not responded to calls and text messages. In the months since it was seized, Ukrainian factory workers describe the Russian troops they control as growing increasingly paranoid. At one point, they demanded that the cooling pools be emptied as the Russians hunted for weapons that could be used against them, but backed down after being informed of the dangers. Ten workers are missing, according to Energoatom, the plant’s Ukrainian operator. A 30-year-old man, who also worked in equipment repairs, said a worker was taken to the gates as he was leaving work and has not been seen since. “Every day, there was a thought, will I come home today?” he said. “You are constantly in danger.” Andriy Tuz, a factory spokesman who warned of the dangers of Russian incoming fire when the factory was seized, appeared in a video released by Russian media in late June saying he retracted his statements. In the video, in which he appears to be reading from a script, he says he is on “holiday” in the Russian city of Sochi. “It’s very beautiful here, very friendly people,” he said. “I now understand that this information was false,” he said of his statements. Residents say Russian forces have become more paranoid since the head of the town’s administration was injured by Russia in an explosion. “It seems like everything has ears and if you say something, they might kidnap you,” said a factory engineer who left last week. Workers say they are struggling with the decision of whether to stay or leave. “We were taught that even if there is a nuclear explosion, you have to stay until the last one,” said the 40-year-old who works in maintenance equipment. He estimates that only about 10 percent of workers doing similar work to him stay. “They are so stressed, they don’t even sleep at night,” he said. “The boiling point is too high. There is no connection with your family when you are at work. All you hear is the outgoings, you don’t know what’s going on.” As for a direct Russian ground attack, there appears to be little strategic advantage in bombing it from the nuclear plant, other than spreading fear by dragging the plant into the conflict. The front lines in the region have changed little in recent months, during which time there has been relative calm. It was a month ago, on July 16, that the first volley of artillery from Russian troops based in Enerhodar rained down on Nikopolis, across the water. Residents say it started on weekends and evenings, but has picked up in recent days. War? Ordinary life? In Ukraine, it depends on where you call home. On August 10, a rocket smashed into the apartment building of Natalya Khodak, 47, who had lived there since she was 5 years old. She watched as rescue workers pulled her upstairs neighbor dead from the rubble that collapsed in her newly renovated bedroom. People are constantly worried about a nuclear spill, he said. “Everybody thinks about Chernobyl,” she said, referring to the 1986 nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine, part of the Soviet Union at the time. “But if there’s an explosion, there’s nothing we can do,” she said, the edge of the nuclear plant visible from her balcony. Ukrainian troops here say they are striking back at Russian positions across the water — with caution. “We are not shooting at the nuclear plant, not under any circumstances,” he said Serhii Ukrainets, a 42-year-old soldier. Another territorial defense soldier said Ukraine retaliates when it has a “clear shot”. A spokesman for Ukraine’s military’s southern command declined to comment on questions, including whether Ukrainian forces were returning Russian fire from around the plant. Ukraine insisted that Russian shelling had caused the damage to the factory. Russia “violated all international conventions and resolutions” during the seizure of the nuclear plant, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said, accusing Moscow of “nuclear terrorism”. The Russian bombing “creates unprecedented risks to the nuclear security of Ukraine, neighboring countries and the entire international community,” he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said over the weekend that Russian soldiers firing from the cover of or at the plant would become a “special target” for Ukraine’s intelligence services and military. The factory worker who described the recent explosions said he didn’t think Ukrainian troops could be responsible because the time between the outgoing fire and the incoming fire sounded so short – just a few seconds. Ukrainian forces have targeted the Russian military at the plant in the past, releasing footage on July 22 of a drone attack on army tents inside the perimeter and a rocket launcher. After that incident, the Russian military moved trucks and equipment into the chamber in Unit 1 of the reactor, the 40-year-old worker said. Personnel access has also been blocked to the emergency crisis center below the plant, which serves as an effective shelter, workers said. Unlike the reactors at Chernobyl, the six pressurized light water reactors at Enerhodar are built under an envelope of reinforced concrete and steel. “It can handle a small plane falling on it,” said Olga Kosharna, a nuclear expert and former board member of Ukraine’s nuclear regulator. He says he believes it is in Russia’s best interest to keep the plant intact as it tries to connect the plant to the grid for occupied Crimea. High stress…
