In the battered towns near Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, "everybody is afraid."

Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Russia not to use Europe's largest nuclear plant as a shield for its forces amid growing concern that fighting could lead to a potentially catastrophic radiation leak. Dozens of other countries say the presence of Russian troops around the sprawling Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station poses "a great danger."

CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D'Agata visited two towns just a few miles from the facility, and he found residents deeply worried about the potential for a disaster.

Ukrainian military officials have accused Russia's invading troops of using the plant as a shield and a base to launch attacks from, knowing that any counterstrike would carry the inherent risk of damaging the nuclear plant's heavily fortified reactors or other sensitive equipment.

D'Agata and his team saw for themselves the damage inflicted on towns around Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces have been pummeling residential neighborhoods with nightly bombardments, killing civilians in what local officials call a campaign of terror.