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Russo-Ukrainian War, Day 164: Shelling at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

byZarina Zabrisky
06/08/2022
10 minute read
Russo-Ukrainian War, Day 164: Shelling at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Article by: Zarina Zabrisky

Russia’s war on Ukraine is about to enter a new phase. Russian forces are massing in the south in anticipation of Ukraine’s counter-offensive. Ukrainian forces target bridges, ammunition depots, and rail links in southern regions. Russian forces reportedly fire rounds near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Enerhodar and accuse Ukraine. Russians recruit convicts to fight in Ukraine.

Daily overview — Summary report, August 6

The General Staff’s operational update regarding the Russian invasion as of 06.00 am, August 6, 2022 is in the dropdown menu below. 

Situation in Ukraine, August 5, 2022. Source: ISW.

 
The one hundred sixty fourth (164) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues.
russian occupiers continue to carry out air and missile strikes on military and civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine.
There are no major changes on the Volyn, Polissya, and Siversky directions. The enemy carried out artillery shelling in the areas of the settlements of Hai and Mykhalchyna Sloboda of the Chernihiv oblast, as well as Nova Huta of the Sumy oblast.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy conducted defensive combat operations with the aim of holding the occupied lines and preventing the offensive of Ukrainian units. Conducted remote mining of the area.
In the Kharkiv direction, the districts of Prudyanka, Slatyne, Pytomnyk, Petrivka, Korobochkyne, Mospanove and Zamulivka were shelled with barrel and rocket artillery. Carried out airstrikes near Verkhniy Saltiv and Lebyazhe.
Conducted aerial reconnaissance by UAVs in the areas of Lisne, Pytomnyk, Ryasne, Protopopivka, Pryshyb, and Nortsivka settlements.
In the Sloviansk direction, the enemy carried out fire damage from artillery of various types near Mazanivka, Krasnopilla, Sulihivka, Karnaukhivka, and Virnopilla.
The enemy is conducting an offensive operation in the Donetsk direction, concentrating its main efforts on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. Uses attack and army aviation.
In the Kramatorsk direction, shelling was recorded near Spirne and Ivano-Daryivka.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy from tanks, barrel and jet artillery shelled the areas of the settlements of Bakhmutske, Toretsk, Bilohorivka, Krasnopolivka, Pivnichne and Vershyna. Airstrikes near Zaitseve, Soledar, Bakhmut and Berestove.
It led offensive battles in the direction of Yakovlivka – Vershyna and Kodema – Zaitseve, it was unsuccessful and left. Leads an offensive in the direction of Bakhmut, hostilities continue.
In the Avdiivka direction, the enemy fired from barrel and rocket artillery in the vicinity of New York, Pervomaisky, Vodyane and Opytne. Carried out airstrikes near Novohradske, Pavlivka, and Prechistivka. It led an offensive in the direction of Lozove – Nevelske, was unsuccessful, withdrew. Conducted regrouping.
On the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia directions, enemy shelling from barrel, rocket artillery and tanks was recorded in the areas of the settlements of Vuhledar, Pavlivka, Shevchenko, Novodanylivka, Vilne Pole, Burlatske, Zelene Pole, Zeleny Hai, Chervone, Stepove and Vremivka. Airstrikes were carried out near Mariinka, Mali Shcherbaky, Novoandriivka, Novosilka and Temyrivka.
The enemy was conducting aerial reconnaissance by BpLA near Krasnohorivka, Novosilka, and Tavriyskyi.
The enemy is conducting a defensive operation in the South Buz direction. The main efforts are focused on holding the occupied areas and inflicting maximum losses on the units of the Defense Forces.
The enemy fired tanks and various types of artillery in the areas of Lymany, Prybuzke, Tavriyske, Luch, Myrne, Partyzanske, Blahodatne, Shyroke, Kyselivka, Kvitneve, Kavkaz, Bila Krynytsia, Bilohirka, Dobryanka, Osokorivka, and Mykolaivka. It carried out airstrikes in the Andriyivka area, as well as the Khutorska valley and the Plotnytsky tract.
Reconnaissance actions of enemy UAVs were recorded in the vicinity of Bila Krynytsia, Nyzhni Sirohozy, Lozove and Andriivka.
In the waters of the Black Sea, the enemy’s ship group continues to perform the specified tasks. There remains a threat of missile strikes throughout the territory of Ukraine.
Four sea-based cruise missile carriers are ready to use high-precision weapons.

Military Updates 

Ukraine and Russia are preparing for the start of an active phase of the war in the south, according to the joint coordinating press center of the Defense Forces of the south. “Threats and warnings about the onset of an extremely active stage of the war are being made. We must understand that such actions are not excluded. But we should not panic. We hear different sacred dates from different sources, and everyone says that it is necessary to evacuate the civilian population. We support this and urge [all relevant organizations] to help our military.”

Regional Updates 

Donetsk Battle Map. August 05,2022. Source: ISW.

In the Luhansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblast, the Russian army retreated to the previous positions after four attacks and continued to shell settlements and Ukrainian army fortifications, in an attempt to get closer to Bakhmut. Russian aircraft carry out several times a day; yesterday it carried out 4 air strikes. The Russian army is trying to create favorable conditions for an attack on the cities of the Donetsk region.

Kharkiv Battle Map, August 5, 2022. Source: ISW.

In the Kharkiv Oblast, Russians shelled Chuhuiv, killing one citizen of the Russian Federation and injuring another. There is information that in the coming days the enemy will intensify missile attacks on the Kharkiv Oblast.

The US declares a state of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak/ The move is expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease. The WHO has also declared monkeypox a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” As of Wednesday, the number of infected people in the United States exceeded 6.600.

Half of the G20 countries do not share the US intent to isolate Russia. A split has occurred within the G20 between the U.S, and its allies and other states that, due to economic fears, historical ties with Moscow, and distrust of colonial powers, do not want new sanctions against the Russian Federation. This position of the G20 makes the US initiative to limit world prices for oil from the Russian Federation impossible.

Belarus extended military exercises near the borders of Ukraine once again for at least another week, until August 13.

The talks between Putin and Erdogan lasted just over four hours. There was no joint briefing after the talks. Putin and Erdogan agreed to develop bilateral relations despite “current regional and global challenges.” An agreement to increase the volume of trade between the two countries and to meet the expectations of both countries in energy matters was reached.

Ukraine to confiscate 903 objects belonging to Russia in favor of the Ukrainian people. Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said that the government had approved a Presidential Decree on the transfer in favor of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people of a number of Russian assets.

️ PMC “Wagner” recruited at least 1,500 people in the colonies of 17 regions of the Russian Federation. prisoners for participation in the war against Ukraine. In a penal colony in Rostov-on-Don, prisoners are trained for 20 hours a day to be sent to the front. The occupiers are promised a salary of about 200,000 rubles. Those who refuse are sent to a penal institution. The first group of prisoners went to the war zone on July 20.

In the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russians undertook overnight attacks, firing at Nikopol and Krivorozhsky district. The invaders targeted Nikopol twice using MLRS. About 40 reactive munitions were fired, including incendiary ones. As a result of the night shelling of Nikopol, private houses, transport, and outbuildings damaged

In the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Russians began to rotate military bases after the Ukrainian army attacked the airfield in the occupied Melitopol. The military of the Russian Federation was relocated to the forest. There is a barrier near which there are soldiers with machine guns. The invaders are printing propaganda newspapers, possibly, “ballots” for a pseudo-referendum.

Chinese state media spread Russian propaganda about Ukraine war

Kherson-Mykolaiv Battle Map. August 05,2022. Source: ISW.

In the Kherson Oblast, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 4 S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems and hit Russian ammunition depots.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1555800015905456128

In the Mykolaiv Oblast, explosions reported at night and in the morning. Houses damaged, a fire started. More than 10 injured, the number of dead is being verified.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1555598034423128065

 

https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1555551004149653507

According to British Defence Intelligence, (last 48 hours): 

  • Russian forces are almost certainly massing in the south in anticipation of Ukraine’s counter-offensive or in preparation for a possible assault. Long convoys of Russian military trucks, tanks, towed artillery, and other weapons continue to move away from Ukraine’s Donbas region and are headed southwest. Equipment was also reported to be moving from Russian-occupied Melitopol, Berdiansk, Mariupol and from mainland Russia via the Kerch Bridge into Crimea. Battalion tactical groups (BTG), which comprise between 800 and 1,000 troops, have been deployed to Crimea and would almost certainly be used to support Russian troops in the Kherson region. On 02 August 2022, a new BTG had been deployed to Crimea and BTGs are also being re-deployed from Eastern Grouping of Forces. These will highly likely be sent into the Kherson region in the coming days.

 

  • Ukrainian forces are focusing their targeting on bridges, ammunition depots, and rail links with growing frequency in Ukraine’s southern regions. Including the strategically important railroad spur that links Kherson to Russian-occupied Crimea, almost certainly using a combination of block, damage, degrade, deny, destroy, and disrupt effects to try to affect Russia’s ability to logistically resupply.

 

  • Russia’s war on Ukraine is about to enter a new phase, with the heaviest fighting shifting to a roughly 350km front line stretching southwest from near Zaporizhzhia to Kherson, paralleling the Dnieper River.

Losses of the Russian army 

As of 6 August, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the war to the present day:

Humanitarian 

Every fourth patient dies in Mariupol hospitals due to the hospitals focusing treatments and resources on the Russian military. Civilians are placed in the corridors and left unattended, for lack of staff. Patients requiring constant injections of insulin suffer the most. An endocrinologist from Russia sees them once a week in one hospital to distribute insulin in syringes.

The Insider and Bellingcat Investigators identified the criminal who castrated and killed a Ukrainian prisoner of war. Tuvan Ochur-Suge Mongush, born in 1993. Journalists identified Mongush in several Russian videos that were published in June and July.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1555729161972588544

️️Environmental 

Three ships with more than 58,000 tons of corn left Ukrainian ports heading toward Istanbul via the maritime humanitarian corridor. Another ship is heading to Chornomorsk, Ukraine to load grain: The Barbados-flagged ship has already been inspected by the Joint Coordination Center team, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

Ukraine harvests 17,5 million tons of grain, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. In 2021, Ukraine’s grain harvest amounted to 107 million tons. As of early August, only 41% of Ukrainian farmlands were harvested.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1555803659434446849

Canada allocates $6 million to improve nuclear security in Ukraine. Canada continues to condemn Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine, including Russian aggression at or near nuclear facilities, the Canadian Permanent Mission to the UN said. To help improve nuclear security in Ukraine, Canada has provided $1 million to the IAEA to enhance security and protection at Ukrainian nuclear facilities and $5 million to the US State Department to help Ukraine identify and respond to illegal nuclear actions on its territory.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1555652890857013248

A possible provocation by the Russian army reported in Enerhodar. The shelling may provoke a man-made and environmental catastrophe. Local residents report ongoing explosions. As of 2:50 p.m., the Russians began shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Energodar with cannon and rocket artillery. Two power lines were cut off, and the switchgear, necessary for the operation of power units, was damaged.

The invaders damaged the nitrogen-oxygen station and the combined auxiliary building of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. “There are risks of hydrogen leakage and radioactive dispersion. The fire danger is high. At present, there are no casualties,” the official channel of Enerhoatom reports.

Ukrainian employees of the station are not allowed to leave the territory., while Russians move around in gas masks and chemical protection suits. Employees brought in by the Russians (presumably Rosatom employees) are urgently evacuated.

In Enerhodar, the city mayor reports that residential areas are being shelled from the side of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. In most areas, electricity, water supply, and the Internet connections were lost.

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, located in the occupied Energodar, has been occupied since March 4. Over the past month, the Russians fired at Nikopol from the surrounding territory of the nuclear power plant and the city of Energodar, killing civilians and damaging residential buildings, industrial enterprises, and hospitals. The Ukrainian military could not shoot due to the risk of hitting the nuclear power plant.

The EU Council approved the decision to reduce gas consumption in the EU by 15%. The Council also clarified various exceptions for non-compliance with this requirement. The reduction in gas consumption contributes to improving the security of gas supplies to the EU.

Türkiye switches to partial rubles payment for Russian gas. The agreement was reached at the talks between Putin and Erdogan in Sochi.

Legal 

The Secretary-General of Amnesty International defended the report on the placement of weapons of the Ukrainian army in residential areas, claiming that the conclusions were based on evidence gathered through extensive investigations that were carried out in accordance with strict diligence standards and procedures. The organization has expressed regret over the reaction of the Ukrainian authorities.

The head of the Ukrainian office of Amnesty International Oksana Pokalchuk resigned. “This is another loss that the war has brought me. Favorite work, 7 years of life, plans for the future, and the last 5 months — also a lifeline in the form of human rights work for the good of my native country during the war. Everything crashed against the wall of bureaucracy and a deaf language barrier. The barrier is not English, but the fact that if you do not live in a country that the occupiers have broken into and are tearing to pieces, you probably do not understand what is wrong with condemning the army of defenders. There are no words in any language that can convey this to someone who has not felt this pain,” Pokalchuk said.

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1555674388141334529

Support 

NATO plans to replace six aid funds to Ukraine with one fund, according to the President’s Office. Demining is one area and NATO will be helping with specialists, equipment, and funds. NATO as an institution is unable to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons but will be supplying non-lethal weapons.

Canada will send 200 instructors to train Ukrainian fighters in the UK, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

Bulgaria indefinitely stops issuing tourist visas to Russians, including visas for property owners. On August 5, 14 employees of the diplomatic mission and consular offices of Bulgaria were announced as persona non grata in Russia. Bulgaria sent about 4,200 tons of weapons to Ukraine. During the first four months since the beginning of the war, until June 30, permits were signed for the export of Bulgarian weapons worth 1 billion 16 million euros. All deliveries passed through Poland.

White House to announce new $1 billion aid package to Ukraine on Monday. The new package will include ammunition for long-range weapons and armored medical transport vehicles.

Latvia will stop issuing visas to Russians indefinitely, with the exception of the funerals of close relatives.

New Developments 

The US declares a state of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak/ The move is expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease. The WHO has also declared monkeypox a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” As of Wednesday, the number of infected people in the United States exceeded 6.600.

Half of the G20 countries do not share the US intent to isolate Russia. A split has occurred within the G20 between the U.S, and its allies and other states that, due to economic fears, historical ties with Moscow, and distrust of colonial powers, do not want new sanctions against the Russian Federation. This position of the G20 makes the US initiative to limit world prices for oil from the Russian Federation impossible.

Belarus extended military exercises near the borders of Ukraine once again for at least another week, until August 13.

The talks between Putin and Erdogan lasted just over four hours. There was no joint briefing after the talks. Putin and Erdogan agreed to develop bilateral relations despite “current regional and global challenges.” An agreement to increase the volume of trade between the two countries and to meet the expectations of both countries in energy matters was reached.

Ukraine to confiscate 903 objects belonging to Russia in favor of the Ukrainian people. Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said that the government had approved a Presidential Decree on the transfer in favor of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people of a number of Russian assets.

️ PMC “Wagner” recruited at least 1,500 people in the colonies of 17 regions of the Russian Federation. prisoners for participation in the war against Ukraine. In a penal colony in Rostov-on-Don, prisoners are trained for 20 hours a day to be sent to the front. The occupiers are promised a salary of about 200,000 rubles. Those who refuse are sent to a penal institution. The first group of prisoners went to the war zone on July 20.

Assessment 

  1. On the war. 

The Institute for the Study of War has made the following assessment as of 5 August, 2022:

Ukrainian officials confirmed that Russia is using Iranian-provided drones in Ukraine. Advisor to the Ukrainian President’s Office, Oleksiy Arestovych, stated on August 5 that Iran handed 46 drones over to Russia and that the Ukrainian government has already noted the use of these drones in combat in Ukraine. [1] At least a portion of the provided drones are older-generation “Shahed 129” heavy strike drones, which Russian forces may seek to use to attack US-provided HIMARS in Ukraine. [2] It is unclear whether the 46 drones represent all the drones that Tehran has agreed to send, or the number of Iranian drones that are currently operating in Ukraine.

Key Takeaways

  • Ukrainian officials confirmed that Russian forces are using Iranian-provided drones in Ukraine.
  • Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground assaults on settlements south of Bakhmut.
  • Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged heavy artillery fire in Pisky, suggesting that Russian forces are unlikely to have full control of Pisky despite Russian claims.
  • Russian forces conducted several limited ground assaults to the north, northwest, and southwest of Donetsk City.
  • Russian and Ukrainian forces accused each other of firing rounds near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Enerhodar, but ISW cannot independently determine which party is responsible for the incident.
  • Russian forces have repeatedly used artillery systems deliberately positioned within the complex to fire on targets across the Dnipro River.
  • Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to advance on Lozove, Kherson Oblast, likely targeting the Ukrainian bridgehead over the Inhulets River.
  • Russian federal subjects are forming new volunteer battalions in Omsk and Samara Oblasts.
  • Russian occupation authorities are likely accelerating passportization and rubleization efforts and civilian data collection in occupied territories in preparation for the upcoming pseudo-referenda on the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory into Russia.
  • The Kremlin is continuing to replace Ukrainian collaborators in Russian occupation administrations with Russian officials, likely to prepare for formal Russian governance of annexed areas.

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