Russia enlarges the trench system around ZNPP cooling pond

The Russians are digging trenches around the cooling pond of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to a study by British military analysts McKenzie commissioned by the German branch of Greenpeace, reports Radio Liberty. 

“Russian troops have constructed trenches for personnel and fortifications, likely for heavy weapons and/or armored vehicles, along the northern and western shores of the cooling pond,” the study states.

Since occupying the plant, the Russians have built over 1,000 meters of trenches, primarily concentrated on the northern and western sides of the pond.

“New detailed satellite analysis shows that a significant area of the nuclear power plant is becoming even more militarized. There are not only trenches, such as on the cooling pond’s dam, but also fortifications that could be used as positions for deploying heavy military firepower. We do not yet see this heavy weaponry, but the construction is not happening for nothing. The Russian armed forces continue to pose a threat to the safety of the ZNPP. These developments are of deep concern,” said Jan Vande Putte, Senior Nuclear Specialist at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe.

The significant militarization of the cooling pond area may be linked to Russia’s plans to restart the nuclear reactors at the facility, according to Greenpeace. “All six reactors have been shut down since 2022,” the study notes. 

Rosatom’s plans to restart one or more reactors at the ZNPP increase the risks of a nuclear accident, Greenpeace analysts warn. The construction of trenches and fortifications by Russia may be a precursor to a new pumping station and Russian efforts to restart the reactors at this site.

“Russia’s numerous crimes at the ZNPP continue to escalate. It is now known that further militarization of vulnerable areas of the nuclear plant, crucial for supplying cooling water to the reactors, is taking place. All efforts must be made to stop Russia’s plans and to hold Rosatom and the Russian state accountable through effective sanctions,” said Shaun Burnie, Senior Nuclear Specialist at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe.