Russians amassing military equipment just 60 m from ZNPP reactor - British intelligence

Russians amassing military equipment just 60 m from ZNPP reactor - British intelligence

Ukrinform
Russian forces have deployed their armed personnel carriers just 60 meters from Reactor 5 of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Station.

That’s according to the British Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform report.

“On 21 August 2022, imagery indicated that Russia maintained an enhanced military presence at the site, with armoured personnel carriers deployed within 60 metres of reactor number five. Russian troops were probably attempting to conceal the vehicles by parking them under overhead pipes and gantries,” reads the report.

The Defense Ministry added that “Russia is probably prepared to exploit any Ukrainian military activity near ZNPP for propaganda purposes.”

Read also: ZNPP continues to operate with risk of violating radiation safety standards

“While Russia maintains the military occupation of ZNPP, the principal risks to reactor operations are likely to remain disruption of the reactors’ cooling systems, damage to its back-up power supply, or errors by workers operating under pressure,” the report reads.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told the meeting of the UN Security Council that the IAEA mission should take permanent control of the situation at the Zaporizhia NPP as soon as possible.

ZNPP is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. On March 4, it was assaulted and seized by Russian ground forces. Since then, the invaders have been deploying military equipment and ammunition on the station site, shelling the surrounding area.

The European Union has condemned Russia's military activities around the Zaporizhia NPP, and called on the aggressor power to immediately hand control over the plant to Ukraine.

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