Reuters: Russian soldiers have dug trenches and laid mines around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
In recent weeks, Russian forces have strengthened their defensive positions inside and around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, as a Ukrainian counteroffensive is expected in the region, reports Reuters, according to News.ro.
The measures described by two Ukrainians who work at the power plant and two other residents of the town of Enerhodar show the risks that the war represents for the security of the installation. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for their safety in a city under Russian occupation.
New trenches were dug around the town of Enerhodar, on the outskirts of which the plant is located, and more mines were placed. The surveillance cameras at the plant are pointing north, toward a large dam, toward territory controlled by Ukraine. The four sources told Reuters they heard occasional explosions, which they assumed were caused by stray animals trampling on the mine. One of the workers saw tracers fired into the night sky from the roof of one of the factory buildings, probably towards a drone.
Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom, told Reuters he did not believe Ukrainian forces would mount a direct attack on the site and might instead try to force the Russians to withdraw by cutting supply lines.
But there is concern in the international community that the six-reactor nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, could be caught in the middle of the fighting, especially as military analysts expect Ukraine to try to push Russian forces beyond the Zaporozhye region. The UN nuclear watchdog says military presence and activity is increasing in the region, stressing the need to act urgently. He has been warning for months about the danger of a major accident at the plant.
The agency plans to present to the UN Security Council, later this month, an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to protect the installation, four diplomats told Reuters.
