Ukraine holds drills in Zaporizhzhia to prepare for radiation leaks from Russian-held nuclear plant

Ukrainian emergency workers wearing radiation protection suits disinfect a man from radiation during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Radiation Safety For Healthcare Workers

A Ukrainian emergency worker wearing a radiation protection suit attends training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian emergency workers wear radiation protection suits during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A Ukrainian emergency worker wearing radiation protection suit attends training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian emergency workers wearing radiation protection suits check the radiation level of passengers of a bus during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian emergency workers wearing radiation protection suits cover a man by blanket during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A Ukrainian emergency worker wearing radiation protection suit checks the radiation level of the bus during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian emergency workers wearing radiation protection suits disinfect ambulances during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian emergency workers wearing radiation protection suits move a man into an ambulance during training in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s biggest, relies in large part on water from the now-emptying reservoir at the Kakhovka dam. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, is seen in the background of the shallow Kakhovka Reservoir after the dam collapse, in Energodar, Russian-occupied Ukraine, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. The plant has been under Russian occupation since 2022. (AP Photo/Libkos)

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Dressed in white and yellow protective suits and armed with devices to detect radiation levels, Ukrainian emergency workers took part in a drill Thursday to prepare for a potential risk of radiation leakage from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Dozens of civilians joined the drill on the outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.

In a tent set up to provide first aid, emergency workers practiced hosing people down with soap and going through the motions of administering treatment to individuals who play-acted victims from possible radiation-affected areas.

Russia occupied the plant in the early stages of the war. Over the past year, it has become a focal point of concern as Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the plant.

Ukraine’s military intelligence recently claimed, without providing evidence, that Russia is planning a “large-scale provocation” at the nuclear power plant in the southeast of the country. Last week, members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government briefed international representatives on the possible threat.

Should something happen at the plant, the people would be brought from radiation-contaminated areas to a location where they would be given medical and psychological assistance, the emergency services said.

Next stop would be a temporary center where people would be washed to wipe away surface radiation and then transported to evacuation points.

Larysa Mykolaieva, who took part in the drill, said while it made her anxious, she understands why it is being undertaken. Her family has already stocked up on large bottles of drinking water, stored food supplies, and purchased masks to prepare for a possible disaster.

“We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Mykolaieva said.

Last year, when a threat of an accident at the plant first arose, Ukraine established a crisis response headquarters. Thursday’s drill was not the first time exercises were held.

According to the emergency services, in case of a nuclear disaster at the plant, approximately 300,000 people would be evacuated from the areas closest to the facility. That covers four regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv. The evacuation would be mandatory.

People will be allowed to bring their pets with them, according to the services. Buses, trains, and personal cars would be used for the evacuation from the affected zone.

Depending on the wind direction and the spread of radiation, people would be taken to safer areas within Ukraine.

“There are different scenarios, but we are preparing for the most critical one,” Yurii Vlasenko, the Ukranian deputy minister of energy said.

Associated Press writers Dmytro Zhyhinas and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this story.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine holds drills in Zaporizhzhia to prepare for radiation leaks from Russian-held nuclear plant | AP News