It comes a day after the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned of the seriousness of the situation around the nuclear power plant, after Moscow-appointed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.
Ukraine is expected to launch a counter-offensive soon to retake territories controlled by Russia, including those in the Zaporizhia region.
“(The evacuees) were placed in the temporary residence center for residents of the frontline areas of Zaporizhia district in Berdyansk,” Paletsky was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Berdyansk is a port city in southeastern Ukraine on the coast of the Sea of Azov and has been controlled by Russia since the first days of the military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
Warning of a serious accident
For his part, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, warned of the danger of a “serious nuclear accident” at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, in the context of the evacuation of ‘a surrounding town inhabited by most of the employees of the site.
He stressed that the situation “contains potential dangers” around the site.
Russia’s evacuation of civilians living near the site has raised fears of an escalation of conflict in the region.
The agency had repeatedly expressed its concern about the safety of the plant, which contains 6 reactors, since Russia seized it, because it is located on the front line.
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