Military intelligence: Russian occupation forces 'gradually leaving' Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Russian occupation forces stationed at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are "gradually leaving" the premises amid the rising threat of Russia's sabotage attack, Ukraine's military intelligence reported[1] on June 30. Among the first to leave the station were three officials from Russia's state-owned nuclear company Rosatom, who had managed Russian-installed personnel at the plant, reads the report. Ukrainian employees who previously signed a contract with Rosatom were advised to evacuate before July 5, while the personnel remaining at the station were instructed to "blame Ukraine in case of any emergencies," the Ukrainian intelligence agency wrote.
As of today, the head of the plant's legal department, the chief inspector, and the deputy in charge of the plant's supplies are known to have evacuated to Russian-occupied Crimea. The number of Russian military patrols is also decreasing in the city of Enerhodar, which hosts the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. On June 23, Ukraine's military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov told[2] the New Stateman that Russia had completed preparations for an attack on the nuclear power plant, mined the plant's cooler, and placed the equipment loaded with explosives near four of the six power units.
According to the Institute for the Study of War,[3] Russia may be signaling its readiness to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to prevent a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the area.
Dinara Khalilova
News editor
Dinara Khalilova is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent.
She has previously worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News.
Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master's degree in media and communication from Bournemouth University in the UK.