Almost 65% of occupied Enerhodar residents live in govt-controlled Ukraine, 15% abroad –mayor

Approximately 65% ​​of the more than 50,000 residents of Enerhodar occupied by Russia in March 2022, a satellite city of Zaporizhia NPP, are on the territory controlled by Ukraine, another 15% - abroad, Mayor of the city Dmytro Orlov has said.

"There were 53,000 residents in Enerhodar before the occupation, approximately 65% ​​of them are in the territory controlled by Ukraine. About 10,000 in Zaporizhia, a little less in Dnipro, 10,000 to 12,000 in Kyiv. The rest settled in the satellite cities of the NPP. About 15% of the energy workers are abroad. In Enerhodar itself, maybe 10,000 to 15,000 remain," he told Enerhoreform during an event at Energoatom, dedicated to the fourth anniversary of the occupation of Zaporizhia NPP.

Orlov said some energy workers are currently trying to leave the city captured by the Russians for the territory controlled by Ukraine.

"There are facts when they contact us, and we try to help them leave through volunteer organizations. Last week there was such a case, a Zaporizhia NPP employee left," Orlov said.

At the same time, he reported very difficult living conditions in the occupied city, communication with people is extremely complicated due to the total pressure and control of the Russian aggressors.

"They have such psychological conditions there that they don't really talk about how they live. Because there is constant pressure there – physical, psychological, wiretapping of phones, monitoring of social networks. You have to communicate through relatives who are in the controlled territory. It's difficult. There is no light, maybe 50% of the day, there is no water. And there are no residents," the mayor of Enerhodar said.

For his part, the former head of Zaporizhia NPP Ihor Murashov said that, according to him, the personnel of Rostatom who come to work at the station are settled on the territory of the station, and not in the city.

"They are settling Russians on the territory of the nuclear power plant itself. There are beds there. They are doing this, most likely, because of fear for their lives and health. In such a 'reservation' they work in shifts, for two or three months at a time," Murashov said.

He added that 3,800 Zaporizhia NPP workers are in the territory controlled by Ukraine, of which 2,316 people are employed at other nuclear power plants. In addition, approximately 1,500 workers have left Ukraine.

"Many people from Zaporizhia NPP work in the military-industrial complex, assembling drones. And those who remained in the nuclear power industry are mostly in Netishyn, at Khmelnytsky NPP. There are 1,200 people there, not including family members. Some are doing repair and restoration work on 3 or 4 power units [unfinished], some are helping with repairs of operating units, and about 200 more specialists are also employed at Khmelnytsky NPP itself," the former head of Zaporizhia NPP said.

As reported, on the night of March 3 and 4, 2022, Zaporizhia NPP with a capacity of 6 GW, which is the largest in Europe, was occupied by Russian aggressors. In September of the same year, it stopped producing electricity. According to the decision of the Ukrainian nuclear regulator, the State Atomic Energy Agency, all six power units should be in a state of cold shutdown. The Zaporizhia NPP receives electricity for its own needs from the Ukrainian power system.