Russia stages a provocation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that it controls, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy operator Enerhoatom warns.
On 7 December 2022, the Russian military placed several multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) “Grad” near one of the nuclear reactors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), right next to the territory of the plant’s dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel, according to Enerhoatom.
Moreover, Russian troops started building up defensive lines on the territory of the nuclear plant.
Russia may employ the MLRS to shell the opposite western bank of the Dnipro River, which is under Ukrainian control, directly from the ZNPP site, using the nuclear reactors and dry cask storage as a shield. Russian forces continue putting radiation safety at the nuclear plant at risk.
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest NPP in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Russia has organized several false flag attacks on the nuclear facility before to accuse Ukraine of nuclear terrorism.
Related:
- Russia denies planning to abandon Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Reuters
- Conflation of nuclear accidents at Zaporizhzhia NPP likely part of Russia’s op to undermine Western support for Ukraine – ISW
- Russia rejects proposals to create demilitarized zone at Zaporizhzhia NPP
