World

Blast hurts Russia-backed mayor in Ukraine

By AAP Newswire

May 23, 2022

Russian forces in front of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Enerhodar — Russian forces control the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine. -EPA

The Russian-appointed head of the occupied Ukrainian town next to Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been injured in an explosion, a Ukrainian official and a Russian news agency say.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

Andrei Shevchik, who was appointed mayor of Enerhodar following the Russian army's occupation of the town, was in intensive care following the attack, Russia's RIA news agency reported, citing a source in the emergency services.

"We have accurate confirmation that during the explosion the self-proclaimed head of the 'people's administration' Shevchik and his bodyguards were injured," Dmytro Orlov, who Ukraine recognises as mayor of the town said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Enerhodar is a town with a pre-war population of more than 50,000.

Many residents work at the two power plants located next to the town, one of which is the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe.

Ukraine has previously complained that Russia's occupation of the plant raises the risk of a nuclear disaster.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm the attack.

Ukraine last week said it had attacked an armoured train carrying Russian troops in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol.