According to U.K. Ministry of Defense intelligence based on imagery from March 2023, the Russian occupation forces have established sandbag fighting positions on the roofs of several of the Zaporizhya Nuclear Power Plant’s six reactor buildings.
“Russia has controlled ZNPP since March 2022. However, this is the first indication of the actual reactor buildings being integrated in tactical defense planning. Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian offensive,” the ministry said.
According to the intelligence, the aggressors’ actions put the ZNPP safety systems in jeopardy should there be fighting near the nuclear plant, although “direct catastrophic damage to the reactors is unlikely under most plausible scenarios involving infantry weapons because the structures are very heavily reinforced.”
