Zaporozhye. Russia has approved a plan to blow up a nuclear power plant

Russia is limiting the presence of its personnel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and has approved a plan to blow it up, Ukrainian military intelligence warns. As it was added, the Russians are withdrawing to the Crimea and reducing patrols near the power plant. Ukrainian officials emphasize that this scenario is even more likely after the Russians blew up the dam in Nova Kakhovka. The Ukrainian Ministry of Health has prepared guidelines for the inhabitants of the region.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR) Kyrylo Budanov said on Friday that Moscow approved a plan to blow up the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant it occupies and mined four of the six power units and a cooling pond. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Russians were planning a "terrorist attack" there.

According to GUR, several representatives of the Russian state agency Rosatom have already left the country. Ukrainian employees who stayed at the plant and signed contracts with Rosatom were ordered to evacuate - by Monday, preferably to the Crimea.

The intelligence agency identified three specialists who had left their positions: the plant's chief inspector, the head of the legal department, and the deputy in charge of procurement. It also found that the number of Russian soldiers at the station and in the nearby town of Enerhodar had significantly decreased.

Zaporizhia: Nuclear power station military base

Since seizing the plant last year, the Russian army has turned it into a full-scale military base. Military equipment was moved to the turbine hall, including armored vehicles and ammunition. The soldiers used this territory to bomb Ukrainian cities on the other side of the Dnieper.

As highlighted, an explosion in the cooling pond could lead to a partial core meltdown, similar to what happened at the Three Mile Island power plant in 1979 in the US state of Pennsylvania. In this scenario, most of the radiation would be confined.

"Of course, if you are an absolute maniac and you open the ventilation ducts, it will throw out radiation," said Oleksiy Kovynev, a former senior engineer.

Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. “Russia has plans to blow it up”

Prior to the full-scale invasion, the plant employed 11 500 employees. It is estimated that there are 2.5 thousands people. Some, including the Ukrainian director of the plant, have signed contracts with Rosatom. Others refused to cooperate and had their security clearances revoked.

Ukrainian intelligence said on Friday that staff at the station had been instructed to “blame Ukraine in the event of any emergencies.” The propaganda claims that it was Ukraine that put the power plant in danger by shelling it.

Ukraine appealed to the international community to pay attention to the alarming situation at the power plant and to put pressure on Moscow to withdraw from its plans. Officials point out that Volodymyr Zelensky warned last year that the Kremlin was preparing to blow up the Kakhovka Dam – which actually happened seven months later.

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The risk of a catastrophe in Zaporozhye. Guidelines of the Ministry of Health

The Ukrainian Ministry of Health has also prepared guidelines for its citizens on how to prepare for a possible failure at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. This information applies to residents of the 50-kilometer zone around the power plant.

As indicated, the first aid kit should include potassium iodide, which reduces the negative effects of radioactive iodine on the thyroid gland. Also added: aluminum antacid sorbents, which accelerate the neutralization, binding and removal of radionuclides from the body; sodium alginate, which creates a protective barrier on the surface of the liquid contents of the stomach and prevents the body from absorbing dangerous substances, and a mask – a means of physical protection.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was asked for a comment on the reports. As he pointed out, “Russia has no reason to occupy the power plant and should not station troops there.” At the same time, he added that there are no immediate concerns about the threat to the safety of the power plant.