Daily Mail

Horror of Chernobyl hostages

Staff are tasked with preventing nuclear meltdown on one meal a day and just two hours’ sleep

- By Inderdeep Bains and Sally Chidzoy

THE UN’s nuclear watchdog expressed grave concerns last night over the dire conditions of hostage workers forced to run the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzh­ia nuclear power plants under Russian control.

It is feared terrified staff who were captured along with the plants when they were stormed by Vladimir Putin’s forces are being overworked in unsafe environmen­ts with limited food rations.

The Internatio­nal Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said the Russians had blocked vital channels of communicat­ion at both sites.

Director general Rafael Grossi said: ‘I’m extremely concerned about these developmen­ts. In order to be able to operate safely and securely, management and staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions without undue external interferen­ce or pressure.’

It comes as the Daily Mail learnt that workers held hostage in Chernobyl are surviving on just one meal of porridge a day and two hours of sleep as they are forced to run the facility around the clock.

The staff have been trapped since the plant was seized on the first day of the invasion and are said to be ‘starving, exhausted and depressed’ as their terrifying ordeal enters its 12th day. Around 100 workers are sleeping on their desks as they work continuous­ly to maintain safety at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. It is usually run by a day staff of around 500 people.

‘They are facing a very difficult situation and are starving, exhausted and depressed,’ a source close to the Chernobyl crisis told the Mail.

‘With nowhere to sleep and no blankets, many are only sleeping for two to four hours on desks or wherever they can find a space.

‘They are running out of food and are down to one meal of porridge a day. They are fed once every 24 hours, if there is enough they might get extra bread.’

The source said staff had resorted to raiding the lockers of their colleagues in the hope of finding food, medicine or hygiene products.

Local civic leader Yuri Fomichev said the terrifying situation ‘posed a danger to the world’. The mayor of Slavutych, which was built in 1986 to house evacuated personnel from the

Chernobyl disaster, added: ‘The main thing we want to convey is that it is very dangerous.

‘People are exhausted, both mentally and emotionall­y, but mainly physically.’

UN agency chief Mr Grossi also said he had ‘grave concerns’ over reports that any action by plant managers needs prior approval by a Russian commander.

‘The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure,’ he warned.

Chernobyl staff faced ‘physiologi­cal pressure and moral exhaustion’, Mr Grossi added.

The plant has been undergoing decommissi­oning since the 1986 crisis but significan­t amounts of nuclear material remain in the form of spent fuel and other radioactiv­e waste.

The IAEA also reported that it was facing problems communicat­ing with personnel at the site which was currently only possible with e-mails.

Mr Grossi stressed his readiness to travel to Chernobyl to secure commitment­s to the safety and security of all Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

Fears that the hostages’ exhaustion could lead to disaster came as the Kremlin continued its reckless targeting of Ukraine’s nuclear sites.

Authoritie­s said Russian forces had shelled a physics institute in Kharkiv that contained nuclear material and a reactor, threatenin­g a ‘large-scale ecological disaster’.

The Russians were firing from Grad launchers, which do not have precise targeting, raising concern that a missile could go astray.

On Friday Putin’s troops shelled and stormed the Zaporizhzh­ia nuclear power station – which has six reactors and is the largest in Europe – prompting worldwide outrage and condemnati­on.

Staff at the massive plant are under Russian control but teams were last night said to be allowed to rotate in three shifts, allowing them to rest.

But there were still problems with the supply of food, which was hitting morale, the UN regulator said. It added there were major problems communicat­ing with staff after the phone lines, e-mails and fax went dead.

Mr Grossi said this was ‘also a source of deep concern, especially during an armed conflict that may jeopardise the country’s nuclear facilities. Reliable communicat­ions are a critical part of nuclear safety’.

Despite the problems, the regulator was able to confirm that radiation levels at the site remained normal.

‘Starving and exhausted’

 ?? ?? On guard: A soldier at Chernobyl, now controlled by Russia
On guard: A soldier at Chernobyl, now controlled by Russia

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