A government official inviting you on a last-minute vacation is uncommon in Ukraine. It turns out that such an invitation usually comes with very little information. The fundamental justification for this is security; it is not advisable to make public where a minister will be, particularly while you are under attack from another nation. We decided to agree, and soon we were brought aboard a helicopter with other journalists at an airstrip not far from Kyiv.
By this time, we were aware that we were going to the city of Zaporizhzhia, and the topic was the rising danger posed by the nuclear power plant located farther south. I understood why we were given anti-nausea medication before takeoff within 30 seconds of the flight.
The pilot hovers the helicopter around 10 meters above the ground, periodically swerving across power wires to avoid detection. There are countless sunflower fields. Some are in full bloom, while others are beyond their prime and fading. Whatever the case, the harvest is drawing near.
Then there is the thick forest, with tens of thousands of tall trees near the helicopter's skids. You no longer have any doubts about Ukraine's huge and varied scenery. Senior officials are keeping an eye on them because they want to know how prepared the region would be in the worst-case situation.
Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine's minister of energy, replies to my query, "Of course we are concerned." On August 5, as the Russians began to shell the area, "the situation altered significantly."
According to Ukraine, the situation at the facility is "approaching critical." The largest location in Europe has been under Russian military control since March. Because of the risks, they have been pressured to regain control, and several employees there have complained to the BBC that they are "being kept at gunpoint."
Heavy shelling has been occurring on and around the factory for the previous two weeks, with each side accusing the other. The newest international organization to demand access for UN inspectors to the Zaporizhzhia power plant is NATO, which claims that the seizure of the facility poses a severe threat to Ukraine and its neighbours.
As Moscow seeks to divert electricity to Crimea, which it seized eight years ago, officials worry the facility may lose power. Denys Monastyrskyy, the interior minister of Ukraine, claims that it is impossible to assure the safety of the nuclear power plant as long as Russian occupation forces are present.
He continues that it is the primary issue we should all be aware of. Additionally, Ukrainians who escape Russian-occupied territory arrive at the parking lot first. There are lines of moving vehicles filled with passengers and bags. Olena, who has just left the city of Enerhodar, where the nuclear plant is located, is waiting for us as we sit in the shade.
She bounces her child on her knee, "It's terrifying, really scary, there's shelling all the time. "Several further explosions have made it risky to remain there. I was forced to leave home even though I didn't want to. This parking lot is an example of Ukraine doing what it can.
Instead of attempting to drive the Russians out of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the nation is preparing for the worst-case scenario.
