Nuclear

“The date of March 4 brought a shockwave to everyone because it was the first case in history when hostile forces occupied Europe’s biggest nuclear plant. Later they turned it into a military base; neglecting nuclear and radiation safety. Back then no one knew what to do or how to proceed. There were no thoughts about staying at home and not going to work. No one had foreseen such a scenario. What they knew for sure was that they had to continue maintaining and operating the plant; otherwise, there was a huge danger for the entirety of Europe.”

Two days after the Russian military troops occupied the plant, workers were allowed to return to work. The management of the station decided to evacuate as many people as possible from the facility, and for the sake of safety in the future, to limit the number of personnel on the territory of the station. "There were armed soldiers everywhere in the plant, and I was terribly afraid seeing them constantly around us. In the city, everything was closed, and internet networks were blocked. Each of us was waiting for someone to set us free." Alla frets her fingers, and her deep voice betrays profound emotion. The events of the past are still vivid and powerful; she sees them, relives them every time she tells the story. Some of Alla's colleagues had taken their families to safer areas, then returned to work, aware that they could not be absent, could not jeopardize the proper functioning of the plant. Day after day, it seemed like the entire city was emptying, people fleeing from the fear of the occupiers “ The Russians brought heavy weaponry and used the plant's platform to launch missiles that hit Ukrainian territory.”

Alla's story is, in a way, similar to the story of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. However, each of them is unique. Each has its own dimension of suffering, of despair and hope. Hope was what helped them endure in the city without electricity, with limited food, storing water, and trying to survive. "We lived in fear and terror day after day. In the evening, we waited for the Russians to finish their ammunition, to cease the bombings, so we could sleep. At any moment, the bus you were on could be blown up, or you could be killed on the street. One day, on my way to work, a rocket flew over my head. I threw myself to the ground to protect myself." They had to choose between continuing like this or taking the risk of leaving the city. Trying to leave the city involved extremely high risks. Approvals from the occupiers were required. Their first request was rejected. Alla's husband needed medical help, which could not be obtained in the city, so they insisted on their requests, claiming that they would return after the surgery. In November 2022, they managed to leave the city, along with other families, in a small convoy. After successfully passing through the occupied zone, they reached the "gray zone," which was at least as dangerous. Signs were missing, roads were bombed, and if they had gone in the wrong direction, they risked being shot either by the Russians or the Ukrainian army, who might think they were invaders.

"When we saw soldiers with Ukrainian insignia in front of us, we started crying. We understood then that we would not return." Alla tells me about how crucial it is for the city and the power plant to be liberated and restored to avoid possible tragedies. "Even though they destroyed our homes, if at least a few walls are still standing, we will rebuild everything."