Ukraine Claims Russia Placed Explosives atop Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Ukraine’s armed forces say the Russians placed explosives on the roof of two power units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest such plant in Europe.

Russian troops occupied the city of Enerhodar and the nearby Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the end of February 2022.

“According to operational information, foreign objects similar to explosive devices were placed on the outer roof of the third and fourth power units of the ZNPP today. Their detonation should not damage power units, but may create a picture of shelling from Ukraine,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post.

The military monitors and controls the situation, and is ready to act under any conditions.

In the last week of June, the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed that the Russian leadership drafted and approved a plan to blow up the plant.

“The plan for a terrorist attack on the ZNPP has been drafted and approved. They can use technical tools to accelerate the disaster,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of the department, said, adding that explosives were placed near 4 out of 6 power units of the ZNPP.

According to him, nuclear reactors without cooling could melt within a period of 10 hours to 14 days. A voltage hike on power lines feeding the facility, which the Russians may also cause, can lead to an accident at the ZNPP as well.

However, Moscow said Kyiv is preparing “grave sabotage” of the ZNPP along the lines of what it did to the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

“The situation around the ZNPP is quite tense and there is a great threat of sabotage by the Ukrainian authorities with catastrophic consequences,” said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation. "The situation there is quite tense, there is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences.”

He said the Russians are taking “all measures to counter such a threat."

Peskov said they're concerned that Ukraine might not hesitate attack. “The Kyiv regime has repeatedly demonstrated its readiness to disdain nothing….Recently, we saw this during the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station - also with horrific consequences," Peskov added.