In October last year, the Ukrainian military tried to recapture the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in the Russian Federation, but failed.
Source: British newspaper Times
Details: At the end of October, officials of the occupation administrations and the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to land troops and storm the ZNPP, the newspaper writes. At the same time, Kyiv did not officially recognize the attempt to storm the nuclear power plant, but representatives of the Ukrainian special forces, military intelligence and the Navy, on condition of anonymity, told the Times journalists the details of the operation.
At that time, Russian troops had held the power plant for more than six months, using its territory to shell Ukrainian cities on the other side of the Dnieper and a large steel plant in Nikopol.
According to the Times, on the night of October 19, about 600 Ukrainian soldiers on 30 boats crammed with weapons, including heavy machine guns, MK-19 grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons, tried to land on the left bank of the Dnieper.
“The idea was that only infantry would be able to participate in the battle. They would not be able to use artillery against us, since this is a nuclear plant,” the newspaper quoted one of the military as saying.
However, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the newspaper writes, did not expect such serious resistance.
“The Russian military built a very dense defense, they mined everything. When we began to approach, they even pulled up tanks and artillery and started firing at us right on the water,” the Ukrainian military said.
“While the special forces boats were crossing the Dnieper, the Ukrainian military began to fire at the positions of the Russians, including with the help of HIMARS missile systems. As a result, only a small group of Ukrainian military managed to reach the shore. They entered into a three-hour shootout with the Russian army on the outskirts of Energodar, but then they were forced were to retreat,” the newspaper writes.
The Times notes that, due to the risk of a radiation leak, such an attempted military assault raises questions even among Ukrainian officials, who are convinced of the need to return the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to Kiev’s control.
The head of the Ukrainian Energoatom, Petr Kotin, suggested that it would be possible to return the ZNPP if the Ukrainian army could move south, towards Crimea and Melitopol.
“This is the only option (to return the power plant – ed.) without direct shelling and a direct attack on the territory of the station. It is very dangerous to do such things (fire – ed.) near nuclear materials,” he said.
