Workers at Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are ‘under constant stress’, being held at gunpoint

Workers at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have given chilling insight into the situation on the ground, describing being held at gunpoint.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 1, 2022, A Russian serviceman patrols the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar. - Kyiv on August 8, 2022, called for the establishment of a demilitarised zone around the nuclear power station in east Ukraine, where recent fighting with Russian forces has raised fears of a nuclear accident. The Kremlin on August 8, 2022, accused Ukrainian forces of firing on the Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant, warning of potential "catastrophic consequences" for Europe. *EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken during a media trip organised by the Russian army.* (Photo by Andrey BORODULIN / AFP)

Workers based at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have given chilling insight into the situation on the ground, describing being “under constant stress” and even being held at gunpoint.

Russian forces have occupied the plant since March and have forced its existing workers to continue operating the plant as war rages outside its gates.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog told the Security Council on Thursday that the agency must be allowed to inspect the plant, saying that fighting near the site has sparked a “grave” crisis.

Fears over a disaster have mounted in recent weeks as explosions ring out dangerously close to nuclear reactors.

“My working day is a constant stress,” a worker known only as Svitlana told the BBC via text message, explaining how she fears for her safety as shells land close by every day.

“I can‘t work like I used to,” says Svitlana. ”The last week I haven’t even been able to come to my workplace - it’s dangerous.

“On Saturday, there was shelling of the nitrogen-oxygen station, which caused a fire. By some miracle, the people working there survived.

“The psychological situation is difficult. Soldiers are walking everywhere with weapons and everyone is actually kept at gunpoint.”

Russia has been accused of stationing over 500 soldiers at the contentious site, and are now forcing the Ukrainian workers to continue operations as normal under their gaze.

Russian forces have held the plant since March and have forced its existing workers to continue operating the plant as war rages outside its gates.

“Every day they drive back and forth in their military vehicles,” Svitlana continued, revealing she had a strong feeling the plant was being used as a base for Vladimir Putin’s military in the region.

“They positioned their military equipment right at the station buildings, to make it impossible for Ukrainian armed forces to strike.”

Another worker, Mykola, said “the staff are now hostages of the Russians”, adding that “they turned off the internet, left only landline phones, and food is available only in one single dining room. They turned the others into their bases”.

Fears over a disaster have mounted in recent weeks as explosions ring out dangerously close to nuclear reactors.

“This is a serious hour, a grave hour and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) must be allowed to conduct its mission to Zaporizhzhia as soon as possible,” Rafael Grossi told an emergency meeting of the Security Council via video feed.

Ukraine and Russia have been at war since Moscow invaded its pro-Western neighbour in late February.

Their forces have clashed at and around Zaporizhzhia, leading to urgent international calls for an end to fighting around the plant, the largest of its kind in Europe.

And Washington on Thursday said it supports calls by the UN and others to establish a demilitarised zone around the plant.

The US State Department’s undersecretary for arms control and international security Bonnie Jenkins supported the idea of an IAEA mission to Ukraine.

“This visit cannot wait any longer,” she told the Council, adding that the only way to ensure nuclear safety would be for Moscow to end its war.

“The United States calls for the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine’s territory,” Jenkins said.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog told the Security Council on Thursday that the agency must be allowed to inspect the plant, saying that fighting near the site has sparked a ‘grave’ crisis.

“This would allow for Ukraine to restore the impeccable safety, security, and safeguards performance it upheld for decades at the facility.” But Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya put the blame for the violence around Zaporizhzhia squarely on Ukrainian forces.

“We call on states that support the Kyiv regimen to bring their proxies into check to compel them to immediately and once and for all stop attacks on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power to ensure the safe conditions for the conduct of the IAEA mission,” Nebenzya told the Council.

“This is the only way to prevent a major radioactive catastrophe on the European continent, the risk of which is now more real than ever,” Nebenzya added.

“If Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks continue, this could take place at any time.” The two sides have traded blame over a recent escalation in fighting around the nuclear facility, which was captured by Russian forces soon after their invasion.

Russia -- a permanent member of the Security Council with veto power -- has since called for the emergency meeting to address the crisis at the complex.