Russian troops who took over the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant in March could mine its territory. The Insider wrote about this on the evening of Aug. 5, citing its own sources in the busy season.

One of the interlocutors of the publication spoke about the arrival of a convoy of Russian military trucks at the nuclear plant on August 2, which stopped between the first and second power units. After some time, part of the convoy, one by one, began to enter the territory of the turbine room of the first power unit through its loading gates. The source believes the engine room was mined. In a video posted by The Insider, trucks can be seen entering the station.

The publication’s second source says that the area around the station is mined by the RF Armed Forces. He estimates the size of the Russian group stationed at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant at 500 Russian soldiers equipped with armored vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons and radiochemical intelligence equipment. According to this data, GRAD batteries are deployed near the village of Vodyanoye, which is closest to the nuclear power plant, and the Russian military stores mines and munitions in the vicinity of power units. If any power units were extracted at the same time, The Insider’s second caller does not know.

Energoatom warns of the danger of spraying radioactive substances

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state energy company Energoatom warned on August 6 that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was operating at risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards after being fired twice by Russian troops with MLRS. Last day.

“As a result of the bombing, the nitrogen-oxygen station and the joint auxiliary building were seriously damaged. There are still risks of hydrogen leakage and radioactive spraying, and the risk of fire is also high,” the ministry said in a statement. At the same time, Energoatom stressed that the Ukrainian personnel at the nuclear power plant “continue to work and make every effort to ensure nuclear and radioactive safety, as well as eliminate the consequences of the damage.”

The Russian side denies any involvement in the bombing of the station. The occupation “administration” of the city of Energodar blamed the APU for this coup. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its August 5 report wrote that it is still impossible to establish which side actually fired on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Zelensky called for sanctions against Russian nuclear industry

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is concerned about the situation in the ZNPP. Its CEO, Rafael Grossi, told the AP on Aug. 3 that “if not all, then most” of the security measures at the plant occupied by the Russian military had been breached. Therefore, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is “extremely vulnerable” to a reactor meltdown, the expert stressed.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his video message from the evening of August 5, called for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry over the situation at the plant.

“Today, the occupiers created another extremely risky situation for everyone in Europe – they shot at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, twice a day,” said the president, noting that this is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. – “Any bombing of this object is a frankly daring crime, an act of terror. Russia should be responsible for the very fact of creating a threat to the nuclear power plant.” Ukraine’s president called the bombing of the plant “an argument in favor of applying tough sanctions against the entire Russian nuclear industry – from Rosatom to all related companies and individuals”: “This is a purely safety issue. other nations definitely are not able to use nuclear technology safely.”