Workers flee Russian-held nuclear plant in Ukraine amid reactor meltdown fears

Workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine are quitting in droves to get clear of what they believe might be another “Chernobyl-like” catastrophe in the making.

Workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine are quitting in droves to get clear of what they believe might be another “Chernobyl-like” catastrophe in the making.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex in southeastern Ukraine has become a hotbed of conflict in the six months since Russia invaded the country. In March, the plant was captured by Russian forces, although Ukrainian technicians still operate it.

Caught in the crosshairs of the war, damage to the plant complex was inevitable. Occupation of the plant by Russian forces is also hampering safety inspections and the replacement of critical parts, said experts. The ongoing conflict is also putting a huge strain on the hundreds of staff running the plant.

Elena, a worker at the plant, told CNN that the “constant explosions” around the plant had her fearing for her son’s life and her own. After sticking it out for nearly six months, she decided to leave after a colleague was killed by Russian troops, who frequently get drunk and fire their machine guns into the air, she alleged.

Another employee at the plant, Daria, claimed there has been a “crazy outflow of staff” in recent weeks over fears of what the enemy forces might do next. Workers are under immense psychological pressure as their numbers dwindle, and every day, they live in a "state of powerless anger."

"We have people leaving en masse, dozens of them, in packs,” Daria told CNN.

Petro Kotin, president of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power operator Energoatom, told CNN that Ukrainian staff at the Zaporizhzhia plant is working in “very dangerous” conditions. Recently, a video showed that Russian forces had placed 20 trucks in two turbine halls at the complex.