The ongoing militarization of the Ukrainian nuclear facilities, carried out by the Russian occupation forces, poses a serious risk of a nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear blackmail and militarization of nuclear facilities has become an integral part of Russian strategy in Ukraine. Two sites at once - the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, together with the plant, and the Zaporizhzhia NPP became a battlefield. Today, ZNPP has become a full-fledged military base.
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone
Russian Armed Forces took control of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone on February 24. These troops crossed into Ukrainian territory from neighboring Belarus and occupied the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant area by day's end.
Russian troops used Chornobyl as a springboard for an offensive against Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Russian troops dislocated equipment violating all safety standards by increasing radioactive dust. Being exposed to radiation themselves, they spread radioactive contamination far beyond the normative territory.
Moreover, Russia fired artillery very close to Chornobyl. Should one missile hit the Conserved Nuclear Plant, Chornobyl II would start - another huge nuclear catastrophe all over Europe.
Such damage could inevitably lead to a significant amount of radioactive dust entering the atmosphere and infecting not only Ukraine, but also other European countries. The occupying forces of the Russian Federation ignored these threats and continued to transport and store a significant amount of ammunition in close proximity to the nuclear power plant.
Dozens of tons of rockets, artillery shells, mortar munitions were transported daily by units of the Eastern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from the logistics base (deployed in Narovlya district of Gomel region) through the city of Prypyat several hundred meters from the station. Further storage of ammunition is carried out in Prypyat's neighboring city - Chornobyl, which is also located at an insignificant distance from the nuclear power plant. In the city of Chornobyl, a temporary command post of the group of troops of the Eastern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as well as well as a command post of the 38th separate motorized rifle brigade (military unit 21720, from Yekaterinoslavka, Amur Region of the Russian Federation) of the 35th combined arms army, were deployed. There also was an ammunition storage area for the needs of the units of the specified group, where hundreds of tons of ammunition were stored.
The Russian occupation forces have been increasingly using old and substandard ammunition (the 165th artillery brigade (military unit 02901, from Belogorsk, Amur Region of the Russian Federation), which is part of the group alignment, has received permission even to use untested ammunition), which increased the risk of detonation even during loading and transportation. The facts of such self-detonation of ammunition in Russian military depots and arsenals are well known and occur regularly.
Russian forces have destroyed a functioning laboratory at the derelict Chornobyl nuclear power plant. The continued Russian shelling of Ukrainian checkpoints in Slavutych, satellite-city, that is home to many Chornobyl nuclear workers, has been preventing worker rotations in and out of the plant. These facts serve as evidence of the careless attitude of the Russian military towards such a potentially dangerous facility as the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
As of March, there were at least 1,000 Russian military personnel on the territory of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Russian tanks are located directly at the entrance to the plant. Videos released by Russian media show vehicles being deployed, and what's more, firing shots, just 800 meters from the New Safe Confinement.
Russian Armored fighting vehicles stand outside the former nuclear power plant at Chornobyl, near Prometheus monument
Distance between Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles and the New Safe Confinement (Shelter Object)
Russians used Chornobyl as an ammunition depot, a military base and, most importantly, a springboard for an Kyiv offensive.
The tragedy of 1986 affected hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes or lost their health while struggling with the consequences of the Chornobyl accident. For this reason, despite the ongoing shelling and losses, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not deliver any retaliatory strikes on the positions of Russian troops near the NPP. The armed forces of Ukraine are ready to endure losses so as not to endanger millions of civilians both in Ukraine and throughout Europe, who may be affected by a new accident at a nuclear power plant.
Zaporizhzhzhia NPP
On March 1, 2022, Russian troops reached the suburbs of Enerhodar, a satellite city of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Russian military decided to focus on capturing the nuclear power plant as quickly as possible. At that point, the residents of Enerhodar continued to block the entrances to the city in an attempt to prevent the Russian army from advancing.
On March 3, late in the evening (11:28 p.m.), a column of Russian troops consisting of two tanks and 10 pieces of other armored vehicles approached the power plant. According to an NPR investigation, 20 minutes later, the nuclear plant's guards fired a missile at one of the tanks, disarming it.
Fighting in ZNPP
Afterwards, a battle between the station guards and the outnumbered Russian troops continued for approximately two hours. The Russians managed to damage several high-voltage lines in what may have been an attempt to de-energize parts of the plant. Much of the fire was directed at the NPP's administrative building as well as the training center.
The Rosgvardia managed to seize the station around 2:25 a.m. thanks to the arrival of reinforcements. A fire broke out in some buildings of the station, but the fire brigades arriving from Enerhodar were prevented by the Russian military from entering, forcing them to turn around. The emergency services gained access at 5:20 am. The fire could be extinguished only at 6:20 am.
Three Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the fighting. Two of them were buried with honors by local residents in Enerhodar on 7 March.
Dmytro Orlov, LB.ua
The presence of the Russian military on the territory of the station was not a secret, although it was initially stated that Russian troops controlled only the perimeter of the station.
On 21 July, Ukraine's state-run nuclear power company Enerhoatom said that military equipment had been placed on the territory of the plant. According to Enerhoatom's statement, at least 14 units of heavy military equipment with ammunition, weapons and explosives were placed by the Russian military in the engine room of Unit 1 of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
"The entire arsenal of imported heavy equipment with all the ammunition is now located very close to the equipment that ensures the operation of the turbine generator," the report said.
According to Energoatom, in particular, the military arsenal is located in close proximity to the main oil tank, which contains flammable oil that cools the steam turbine. It also contains explosive hydrogen, which is used to cool the generator.
On August 18, a video filmed on the territory of the station was published. It shows the Russians placing military equipment in the turbine hall. The footage shows one of the 6 turbine halls with Russian military trucks standing just over 130 meters away from the reactor.
In August 2022, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine notified the IAEA that there were about 40 pieces of military equipment on the territory of the plant, which was mentioned in a report on Nuclear Safety and Security of Nuclear Facilities in Ukraine. This information was also confirmed by photographs. In particular, the military equipment was located on the first floor of the turbine hall of ZNPP Unit 2.
IEAE
On August 25, the UK Ministry of Defense published satellite images of ZNPP, which show Russian equipment on the territory of the plant. In particular, Russian APCs and trucks 60 meters from reactor number 5.
UK Ministry of Defense
September 2, 2022 The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that on the eve of the IAEA experts' visit, Russians were removing military equipment from the plant. About 100 units were transported to the Atomenergomash plant, while the rest were dispersed in the nearest settlements.
On December 9, 2022, Energoatom stated that Russian forces had deployed several Grad multiple rocket launchers to the area of the No. 6 reactor and the dry fuel storage area. The deployment of multiple rocket launchers in the ZNPP area could have been motivated by shelling of Nikopol', Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which is located on the other side of the Dnipro River, almost opposite Enerhodar. The Institute for the Study of War confirmed that Russian forces stored military equipment, including ammunition, armored personnel carriers, anti-aircraft systems, and other weapons on the territory of the ZNPP.
This information is confirmed by an investigation by the Russian publication The Insider, which has obtained a video of Russian multiple rocket launchers operating from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. According to the publication, the video was shot on the night of September 2 to 3. The footage shows that MLRS are in close proximity to the power unit. The Insider, together with the Conflict Intelligence Team, analyzed the video. Although there is no absolute certainty that the artillery is on the territory of the plant, there is every reason to say that the shelling of the right bank of the Dnipro River was conducted from the immediate vicinity of the plant.
The Insider
It is noteworthy that an IAEA mission arrived at the plant shortly before that.
Over time, the Russian occupation forces stopped hiding the fact of the presence of military personnel and equipment on the territory of the plant, denying only the presence of artillery there and the fact that the territory had been mined. Under the guise of preventing attacks by Ukrainian saboteurs, the Russians deployed armored personnel carriers, MRAPs and other equipment on the territory of the plant, which was openly recorded by IAEA experts.
In addition, Russia has repeatedly shelled the territory of ZNPP. Although the Russian army controls the territory of the plant, ZNPP is connected to the Ukrainian power grid, generating electricity for Ukrainian consumers. In an attempt to prevent electricity supply, including during the energy terror in the winter of 2022-2023, Russian forces have repeatedly secured the plant. For this purpose, they simulated shelling, allegedly from Ukraine.
In particular, on August 5, two power lines were severed as a result of explosions. At that time, a decision was made to unload and disconnect one of the operating power units from the grid. On August 25, for the first time in history, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant stopped completely. President Zelenskyy said that the emergency protection of the power units was triggered. "If the diesel generators had not turned on, if the automation and our plant personnel had not triggered after the blackout, we would already now be forced to overcome the consequences of the radiation accident," the president said.
Speaking at the UN Security Council, the IAEA chief expressed serious concern over the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
"For the time being, there is no immediate threat to nuclear safety as a result of shelling or other military action. But the situation may change at any moment," Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
On the morning of November 20, IAEA experts reported that more than 10 explosions occurred in the area of Zaporizhzhia NPP - several buildings on the territory of the plant were damaged. According to Energoatom, three hits were recorded near the Raduga substation. This, in turn, could have been an attempt to stop the supply of electricity.
Back on 2 September, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine proposed to create a ten-kilometer demilitarized zone around the ZNPP. Nuclear security was the first point of President Zelenskyy's peace plan, which was presented at the G20 summit in November 2022.
"...in front of the eyes of the whole world, Russia has turned our Zaporizhzhzhia Nuclear Power Plant into a radioactive bomb that can explode at any moment. Where will the radiation cloud go? Perhaps towards the territory of the EU. Maybe to Türkiye. Maybe to the Middle East. I consider as criminal even a hypothetical possibility of such a scenario!
Radiation safety must be restored. The IAEA has already provided respective recommendations, confirming all the risks that we have repeatedly raised. Therefore, Russia must immediately withdraw all its militants from the territory of the Zaporizhzhzhia NPP. The station must be immediately transferred to the control of the IAEA and the Ukrainian personnel. The normal connection of the station to the power grid must be restored immediately so that nothing threatens the stability of the reactors," Zelenskyy said.
Unfortunately, ZNPP is still under the control of Russian troops, and the blackmail that began with the seizure of Chornobyl on the very first day of the invasion continues.
Comments