In Ukraine, it is uncommon for a government official to invite you on a trip on short notice.
It turns out that it is more frequent for invitations to contain few specifics.
The primary reason for this is security; it is not exactly prudent to announce where a minister will be, especially if your country is under attack.
We decided to accept and were soon brought onboard a helicopter together with other journalists at an airbase near Kiev.
At this time, we were aware that our goal was the city of Zaporizhia, and we were discussing the mounting threat posed by the region’s nuclear power plant located farther south.
Within thirty seconds after the flight’s departure, I realized why anti-nausea pills were provided.
To remain undetected, the pilot maintains a height of 10 meters above the ground and occasionally flies over powerlines.
There are countless sunflower fields. Some are in full bloom, while others are past their prime and fading. Despite this, the harvest is rapidly approaching.
The dense forest consists of tens of thousands of towering trees that come dangerously near to brushing the helicopter’s skids.
There is no deception regarding Ukraine’s wide and diverse environment.
After arriving in Zaporizhzhia, you are struck by two things: the skyline, which is more industrial than that of Kyiv, and the humidity.
We arrive in a supermarket parking lot where emergency personnel is wearing yellow hazardous suits. In the case of radioactive contamination, they are practicing cleanup procedures.
Senior officials are observing them see how prepared the region would be for the worst-case scenario.
Energy Minister of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko tells me, “Of course, we are concerned.” The situation altered drastically on August 5, when the Russians began shelling the area.
According to Ukraine, the situation at the plant is “approaching criticality.”
The largest location in Europe has been held by the Russian military since early March.
They have been requested to return control due to the dangers, and several staff members there have been told that they are “held at gunpoint.”
There has been heavy shelling on and around the factory for the previous two weeks, with each side placing the blame on the other.
NATO is the most recent foreign organization to demand that United Nations inspectors be granted access to the Zaporizhzhia power facility, arguing that its seizure poses a grave threat to Ukraine and its neighbors.
As Moscow attempts to transfer electricity to Crimea, which it annexed eight years ago, the plant’s power supply may be cut off, according to officials.
“It is impossible to maintain the safety of the nuclear power plant while Russian occupation soldiers are present,” says Ukraine’s interior minister, Denys Monastyrskyy.
“It is the primary worry that we should all comprehend,” he continues.
The parking lot is also where Ukrainians who successfully escape Russian-occupied territory first arrive.
There are lines of automobiles containing people and baggage.
Olena, who has just escaped the city of Enerhodar, where the nuclear plant is located, sits in the shade.
While bouncing her toddler on her knee, she declares, “It’s terrifying, really terrifying, and there’s constant shelling.”
“There have been numerous additional explosions, and it is no longer safe to remain there.
I did not wish to leave my home, but I had no other option.
This parking lot demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to govern what it can.
Incapable of forcing the Russians out of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the country is instead preparing for the worst-case scenario.
