According to British intelligence, satellite images show that Russia is preparing for hostilities at the Zaporizhia nuclear power station, and the International Atomic Energy Agency is "deeply concerned".
Zaporizhia - The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant repeatedly came into focus during the Ukraine war.
The contested energy plant has been occupied by Moscow's troops since March last year, and they have repeatedly launched rocket attacks from there.
Shortly after the invasion began last year, Europe's largest nuclear power plant burned down after Russian shelling.
According to the British secret service, the Russian occupying forces are now preparing again for battles around the nuclear power plant.
Secret service report: satellite images show new defensive positions on the roofs of the nuclear power plant
Ukraine's long-awaited major offensive could begin soon.
According to a statement by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Friday (April 28), the preparations are almost complete.
The Zaporizhia region, in which Europe's largest nuclear power plant is located, is considered the gateway to the Crimean peninsula and thus a possible direction of attack.
According to the Reuters
news agency, satellite images
show that the Russian defense lines are most heavily fortified in the Zaporizhia region.
The British secret service assumes that Russia is also preparing for fighting around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
This emerges from the daily update from the British Ministry of Defense on Thursday (April 27), in which the experts refer to current satellite images of the plant.
Accordingly, the recordings show defensive positions with sandbags on the roofs of several of the six reactors.
Sandbags are also stacked in trenches, for example, so that soldiers can aim from cover.
Accordingly, it can be assumed that Russia plans to station soldiers on the reactor buildings.
Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant: Russian defensive positions constructed from sandbags on reactor buildings pic.twitter.com/bBdjzdKq2s
— Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 27, 2023
It is the first time since the nuclear occupation began in March 2022 that the reactor buildings have been included in Moscow's tactical defense planning.
"Russia likely set up these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospect of a major Ukrainian offensive," the intelligence experts said.
International Atomic Energy Agency warns of nuclear accident due to increasing hostilities
The British intelligence report warned that fighting would increase the risk of damage to the nuclear power plant's safety system.
However, catastrophic damage to the reactors is unlikely in most plausible infantry weapon scenarios because the building structures are very well reinforced, it said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) basically shares the assessment of the British secret service, but does not rule out a nuclear catastrophe in the event of a hit.
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About a week ago, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi warned of a nuclear accident due to the increasing hostilities around the nuclear power plant.
"I saw clear signs of military preparations in the area when I visited the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant three weeks ago," said the IAEA chief, expressing "deeply concerned" about the current situation.
Moscow and Kiev have been accusing each other of shelling the nuclear power plant for months.
Since the beginning of the war, the Atomic Energy Agency had repeatedly tried to negotiate a security zone around the nuclear facility with Russia and Ukraine.
Grossi confirmed that negotiations would continue in this regard.
The nuclear plant is currently in so-called cold operation, the reactors have been shut down for safety reasons.
The situation in the nuclear power plant is precarious even without combat operations.
For example, since the start of the Ukraine war, cooling has had to be carried out several times using emergency power.
The nuclear facility currently relies on the only functioning external 750-kilovolt power line, which is necessary for reactor cooling and other essential backup functions.
Before the start of hostilities, the plant had four such external power lines, according to a report by the IAEA last week
(bme with dpa).
