According to UK intelligence, Russian occupation forces had established defensive positions on several Zaporizhzhya NPP reactor buildings as of March.
the UK Ministry of Defence’s Intelligence Review of the Russian-Ukrainian war said on 27 April.
Available satellite imagery shows that Russian troops have set up positions, fortified with sandbags, on the roofs of several of the six ZNPP reactor buildings before March 2023.
“Russia has been in control of ZNPP since March 2022, and these are the first indications that the reactor buildings themselves are being integrated into tactical defence planning,” analysts note.
This, they suggest, confirms anxiety among Russian commanders ahead of an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.
The radioactive cloud would cover huge swathes of Europe ( Image: @myroslavapetsa/Twitter)
“These moves are highly likely to increase the risks of damage to ZNPP’s security systems if the fighting goes on around the plant. However, direct catastrophic damage to the reactors is unlikely in the most likely small arms scenarios because these structures are very well fortified,” the review noted.
Recall that there is an IAEA expert mission at the occupied plant, Russia has blocked its rotation several times.
