It has been claimed by Ukraine’s chief atomic inspector, Oleg Korikov, that more than 1,000 technicians have been taken hostage (Picture: AP/Getty Images/Dean Calma)
Russian soldiers based at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have been accused of torturing Ukrainian staff and kidnapping their children in an attempt to force them to cooperate.
The head of Ukraine’s nuclear inspectorate, Oleg Korikov, has claimed more than 1,000 technicians have been taken hostage at the plant.
Mr Korikov told the i paper victims are being subjected to torture, beatings and detention.
He said: ‘They take kids and move them to Russia to manipulate the staff, so in any cases of their non-compliance or a disagreement, they can do something wrong with their kids.
‘There are a lot of cases of beating staff, a lot of cases of imprisoning them.’
There was growing concern Russia was planning a ‘detonation’ of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to falsely accuse the Ukrainian military of shelling the site earlier this month.
President Zelensky claimed ‘objects resembling explosives’ had been placed on top of several of the power units.
The UN demanded that the International Atomic Energy Agency was allowed to inspect parts of the plant, following Zelensky’s claims.
Oleg Korikov issued a warning about the situation (Picture: Dean Calma)
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Ukraine after claims of ‘objects resembling explosives’ on the roofs (Picture: Getty Images)
Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of planning to attack the nuclear plant (Picture: AP)
The agency said it had ‘requested additional access to confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site’, including on ‘the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4’, turbine halls and ‘some parts of the cooling system’.
The IAEA also said that ‘the military presence at the site appeared unchanged’.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi added at the time: ‘With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground.
‘Their independent and objective reporting would help clarify the current situation at the site, which is crucial at a time like this with unconfirmed allegations and counter allegations.’
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Putin’s spokesperson responded to the claims and said there was ‘a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences’.
The power plant is still staffed by Ukrainians but Ukraine has likened the conditions to that of hostages.
They have worked under the control of the Russian military since they took over the site in March last year.
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There are claims more than 1,000 technicians have been taken hostage at the plant.
