Russia-Ukraine war: Heavy shelling forces Nikopol residents to flee

Many residents from Nikopol and or towns and vills alongside Dnieper River, have been spending nights in tents or in cars in vills nearby, scared of intensive shelling in ir cities.

For almost two months Nikopol, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) downstream from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been under attack.

shelling against city and region, has intensified in last weeks, and attacks that were usually at night, are taking place during day too, said Maiia Chernysh, 59, mamatics professor and resident of Nikopol while assembling a tent toger with her husband, in a small vill nearby.

As many ors, couple goes back to Nikopol every morning to check on ir house and where Maiia's husband works in one of factories still functioning.

She keeps working as a teacher giving online classes. Once y finish, y leave city to spend night in a safer area in Dnipropetrovsk region, t far from ir hometown.

"So far it ( house) is intact, every time when we leave (Nikopol) we are worried. We are praying to God so we can get back to our house intact," said Chernysh.

She explained that last Thursday, during visit of he of IAEA mission to plant that coincided with beginning of school year in country, Russians launched ir attacks in morning and kept shelling through day.

"It was very scary," Chernysh said, ding with optimism that Ukrainians will eventually recover ir territory and continue being an independent country.

A few meters from m, two friends were playing backgammon outside ir tent, and ar couple was having some food, seated next to ir truck where y sleep.

Serhii and Olena Sovenko are farmers, and about one month ago decided to leave Nikopol at night due to shelling. y go back to city every day to work.

"We have been leaving (every day) city (Nikopol) because very often re are even 3 shellings, very strong, massive, and literally in area where we live, 500 or 600 meters (from house) so, we really don't want to take risk (of spending night re)," Serhii Sovenko explained.

He said that most of city's population has left - more than 50% according to authorities - and those remaining sleep in shelters or basements.

With some of factories still working, a lot of men remain in Nikopol while ir families fled to vills nearby.

"We left just when Nikopol became a battlefield," said Olena Kovalova, 32, who used to work in a bank before war. She moved toger with her 6-year-old son to a nearby town to remain close to her husband and to town where she was born.

"We are afraid for our lives," she said, but "we are t afraid of Zaporizhzhia power plant but to people who are re", she ded in reference to Russian forces controlling NPP.

he of U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was disconnected to its last external power line. But facility is still able to run electricity through a reserve line amid sustained shelling in area.

International Atomic Energy ncy (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a statement Saturday that ncy's experts were told by senior Ukrainian staff that fourth and last operational line was down.

three ors were lost earlier during conflict. IAEA experts arrived at Zaporizhzhia on Thursday.

Zaporizhzhia facility, which is Europe's largest nuclear plant, has been held by Russian forces since early March, but its Ukrainian staff are continuing to operate it.

Over past several weeks, Ukraine and Russia have tred blame over shelling at and near plant, while also accusing each or of attempts to derail visit by IAEA experts, whose mission is meant to help secure site.

Seated in a park 30 kilometres (19 miles) away from nuclear plant, Kovalova shared some time with or families from Nikopol displaced by conflict.

For her, accusations me by Russia that Ukraine is shelling plant don't make any sense. "Ukraine kws what was Cherbyl, and body would even have in mind to shell NPP (Nuclear power plant)".

She hopes Russians to be kicked out from plant or at least persued by IAEA (International Atomic Energy ncy) to leave it, she explained.

"I really want to go home when everything finishes," she said before leaving park to walk through empty streets of vill that became her and her son's temporary home.