Switzerland: On Saturday, the head of the UN's nuclear power watchdog issued a warning that the environment around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant had become "increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous" and urged action to ensure its secure operation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, Rafael Grossi, issued the warning in light of what he claimed were evacuation orders being carried out in the nearby town of Enerhodar by the governor who had been installed by Russia.

According to Grossi on the agency's website, "the general situation in the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous."

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The very real risks to the plant's nuclear safety and security cause me great concern. To avoid the threat of a serious nuclear accident and its associated effects on the populace and environment, we must take immediate action.

Days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his neighbour in February 2022, Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant. Near the facility, there have frequently been firefights in which both sides have blamed the other.

Grossi most recently travelled to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia station, in March as part of his efforts to negotiate with all parties involved to reach a consensus on safeguards that would ensure the plant's safe operation.

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He has repeatedly expressed concern about the risks posed by military operations near the plant.
Russia announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, including the region of Zaporizhzhia, in September of last year.

Many of the employees who run the plant live in Enerhodar, which is on the south bank of the Dnipro River, in the portion of that region that is under Russian control.

Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of the region of Zaporizhzhia under Russian control, announced on Friday that he had directed the evacuation of villages near the front lines where Ukrainian forces were stationed. According to him, recent days have seen an increase in the area's Ukrainian shelling.

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A widely anticipated Ukrainian spring counteroffensive against Russian forces is expected to include the Zaporizhzhia region, which is held by Russia to a degree of about 80%.