The Daily A Nuclear Power Plant on Ukraine’s Front Lines
4 snips
Sep 7, 2022 
Marc Santora, an international news editor for The New York Times and Kyiv resident, dives into the precarious situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid the war in Ukraine. He discusses the dangers faced by plant workers under Russian occupation and the critical need for reliable power to avert disaster. With renewed shelling threatening safety, Santora sheds light on urgent international calls for a protective zone to ensure safety, drawing alarming parallels to past nuclear crises.
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Enerhodar's Defense
- In the war's first week, Enerhodar residents built barricades to defend their city and the Zaporizhzhia plant.
- Russian forces broke through, leading to a firefight outside the plant, prompting a control room engineer to plead for a ceasefire.
Unique Power Plant Control
- The Zaporizhzhia plant is under Russian control, yet Ukrainian engineers still operate it, reporting to a Ukrainian energy company.
- This creates a tense and unusual situation.
Escalating Violence
- Following the Kremlin-appointed mayor's assassination, tensions escalated with targeted violence.
- A plant worker, Sergei Shvets, was shot by Russians, and another worker was beaten to death during questioning.