Russian forces continue to mine Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Ukraine’s intelligence

Ukraine's military intelligence reported on July 8 that Russian forces are continuing to mine the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

According to the intel, minefields consisting of remote-controlled and unguided anti-personnel mines of directed type were installed in the technical premises and the engine rooms.

Remotely controlled and uncontrolled anti-personnel mines are being placed in technical and machine rooms, intelligence added.

The Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Since then, Russian forces have been using Europe's largest nuclear power plant as a military base to launch attacks against Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Ukrainian forces have officially warned of a possible provocation in the near future at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as explosive-like objects were placed on the roofs of two power units.

The Ministry of Health appealed to Ukrainians that residents of the potential radiation accident zone should be prepared for possible evacuation in case of an explosion.

On June 30, Ukrainian intelligence reported that the Russian contingent was gradually leaving the territory of the ZNPP.

At the end of June 2023, large-scale emergency services drills were held in Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro regions to overcome the consequences of a possible terrorist attack at the plant.

On July 5, the International Atomic Energy Agency requested additional access to the roofs of ZNPP reactors from the Russian military to confirm the absence of mines or explosives.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on July 5 that the agency's on-site experts have not yet found any explosives during their inspections of the nuclear plant.