The Russian Embassy in Yerevan announced the evacuation of 164 employees from the state corporation "Rosatom" from the Iranian Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant through Armenian territory. Alongside Russian nationals, citizens of Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Tajikistan were airlifted on a special flight from Yerevan to Moscow, highlighting the international scope of the operation amid escalating regional tensions.

The Russian embassy expressed gratitude to the Armenian authorities for their assistance and swift processing of the staff's departure. This incident underscores the critical need for cross-border cooperation in crisis situations, yet it also raises concerns about the persistent vulnerabilities of nuclear facilities in conflict zones, where such evacuations may become increasingly common.

Previously, Rosatom's General Director Alexey Likhachev stated that the company plans to conduct two more waves of personnel evacuation from the Bushehr plant in early April. A portion of the staff will remain on-site to ensure the facility's security and prepare for a potential resumption of operations, indicating ongoing risks and uncertainty surrounding the plant's future amid the volatile geopolitical landscape.

It is recalled that on the evening of March 17, the area of Iran's sole Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was subjected to a direct strike for the first time since the onset of the current conflict. The projectile landed on an industrial site near the metrology service building within the protected perimeter. The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) reported that critical infrastructure damage and casualties were avoided, but this event amplifies global apprehensions about the safety of nuclear installations and the potential for catastrophic regional fallout.

Source: podrobno.uz