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Lithuania's Authorities Urge Citizens to Stock Up on Food in Case of Accident at Belarus NPP

© AP Photo / Sergei GritsA man in a horse drawn carriage travels on a road, with Belarus's first nuclear plant which was built by Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the background near Astravets, Belarus, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020
A man in a horse drawn carriage travels on a road, with Belarus's first nuclear plant which was built by Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the background near Astravets, Belarus, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 - Sputnik International
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Earlier this week, speculation appeared on the Internet alleging that the emergency cooling system for the first reactor at the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus was damaged. A spokesman for the Belarussian Ministry of Energy later denied the allegations.

A representative of Lithuania's Interior Ministry, Mindaugas Bayarunas, has called on fellow Lithuanians to stock up on food in case of an accident at the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus, which is built near the Lithuanian border and 50 km from its capital, Vilnius.

"We recommend that the population create a stock of essential products for three days", he said during a broadcast on the national LRT radio.

The advised stockpiles include canned foods, cereals, vegetable oil, sugar, and water.

"The functions of all responsible authorities are clearly defined, but it will take some time until they come to aid people, so everyone should be ready," Bayarunas said.

Earlier this week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko approved the terms for commissioning both power units at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP). The Belarusian NPP is the largest Russian-Belarusian economic project; the general contractor for its construction is Atomstroyexport, which is part of Russia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation.

Vilnius has claimed that the BelNPP is unsafe. Lithuania has alleged that the project was built in violation of international requirements on nuclear energy.

The country has said that the NPP is a threat to national security, legally prohibiting the purchase and export of its electricity through Lithuania's power grid.

Minsk has repeatedly stressed that the safety of the plant will be ensured in line with the highest standards.

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