Nuclear Terrorism at ZNPP: What Exactly is Mined by the Russian Invaders?  

During his interview for TSN on August 8th, Petro Kotin, the President of Enerhoatom State Corporation, described the recent developments at Zaporizhzhia NPP and explained, where exactly the invaders planted explosives.

According to Kotin, the situation at ZNPP has deteriorated rapidly during the last three days. 

"The invaders shelled the plant and the adjacent territory having damaged most power transmission lines connecting it to the Ukrainian energy system, therefore the plant is now connected to the Ukrainian grid with only one line. This is very dangerous. If this line is damaged as well, the plant will essentially enter into blackout mode and switch the reactor area cooling powered by diesel generators. This is very dangerous”, he noted.

Enerhoatom’s President also confirmed that the invaders have rigged ZNPP facilities with explosives.

"Yes, we do have such information (around explosives – ed.). Today, the commander of these troop, Russian General Vasilyev, made a statement that the plant will be either controlled by Russian or there would be nothing, but scorched desert. He also claimed that all ZNPP facilities are rigged with explosives. We know that the indeed have planted explosives at the shoreline near ZNPP cooling water pond and the shoreline of Kakhovka Reservoir. We know it for sure, and our people have seen them doing it”, Kotin said. 

As for other facilities, Enerhoatom confirms that the turbine islands of the first and the second power generation units are used for storage of trucks potentially loaded with explosives.

"We also know that they have deployed their military vehicles at the first and the second turbine islands: 14 military trucks are now parked at the first power generation unit, and 6 trucks re parked at the second. We don’t know what’s in these trucks, but we suspect it could be explosives. I suppose they have indeed mined the power generation units. The accidental detonation may result in a powerful explosion and large-scale fire at the turbine islands. Moreover, the fire engines won’t be able to approach the site to extinguish the dire, because the parked military trucks are blocking the access roads to the turbine islands. Of course, they potentially may blow everything up”, Enerhoatom’s President stressed.

As for reactor units, they are now controlled by Ukrainian personnel, and Enerhoatom has no data about mining of these facilities, although the invaders may plant explosives there at any second, Kotin adds.

Read also:

• "It Will Be Either Russian Land or Scorched Desert": Invaders Threaten to Blow Up Zaporizhzhia NPP

• Russian Invaders Keep Izium Residents as Hostage to Use Them as “Human Shield” – Mayor’s Office

• "God Forbid, If Something Irreparable Happens…": Zelenskyi Warned Europe About Nuclear Hazard at Zaporizhzhia NPP

• Zelenskyi Warned that Fake Referendums in Seized Territories Would Close Any Possibility of Negotiations for Russian Invaders