Russian forces starts “census” in city near nuclear plant

• Russian forces conducting door-to-door tours and intercepting people in courtyards.
• Close to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was cut off from Ukraine’s power system earlier this week.

Russian forces and “collaborators” have begun a census in the southeastern city of Enerhodar, according to Ukrainian authorities.

For the second day running, Russian forces “along with collaborators with the so-called police are doing the door-to-door tours and intercepting people in the courtyards,” said Dmytro Orlov, the displaced mayor of Enerhodar.

“This was reported by local residents who had to participate in the ‘census.'”

“In many cases the census ends up with a rummage and browsing through the apps of mobile phones. Please be aware!” he added.

Enerhodar had a population of roughly 50,000 before to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Since the beginning of March, Russia has been in control of the city.

It is close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was cut off from Ukraine’s power system earlier this week as a result of shelling by Moscow as the Kremlin stepped up its attacks on vital energy assets.

According to state nuclear energy corporation Energoatom, Russian bombardments about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the reactor had crippled two high voltage transmission cables.

The plant had gone to “full black-out mode. All 20 diesel generators started operating,” Energoatom said.

“Power units 5 and 6 are being transferred to a cold shutdown mode,” it added. The other four units were already shut down.

Although the plant is controlled by the Russian state nuclear energy operator Rusatom, it is operated by Ukrainian specialists.

Also Read

UN alert: Another shelling of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine

There have been reports of additional shelling on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power...

According to a statement released by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday, power was lost late on Wednesday night and the facility was “now receiving backup power from its emergency diesel generators, further underscoring the extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the facility.”

“Despite the best efforts of the plant’s courageous staff to stabilize the external power situation in recent weeks, the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant has again lost all access to off-site electricity,” Grossi said.

“For now, it receives the power it needs from the on-site diesel generators. But this is clearly not a sustainable way to operate a major nuclear facility. Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed.”

Also Read

Vladimir Putin’s troops build ‘unknown structure’ at nuclear power plant, fretting Ukraine

Ukrainian troops have reason to be worried about what they call a...