Ukrainian special forces have attempted to liberate Russian-occupied Enerhodar but failed three times – intelligence chief

The fighters from the Main Directorate of Intelligence attempted to land on the left bank of the Dnipro River three times to establish a stronghold to liberate Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) from occupation.

The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said this in a conversation with NV.

As noted in the publication, special forces crossed the then-still full-water Kakhovka reservoir in the Enerhodar region last year in August. Their goal was to create a bridgehead on the left bank, suitable for further liberation of the city, Volodymyr, a participant in that operation, said on condition of anonymity.

At that time, the Russians wanted to connect the ZNPP to their energy system, which would help Russia gain a foothold in the region.

Fighters landed near Enerhodar but could not gain a foothold. According to Volodymyr, they lacked artillery support. Under the pressure of the prevailing occupation forces, the Ukrainians retreated. Before this, intelligence did not have the experience to conduct such operations.

At the same time, Budanov and his subordinates did not abandon the idea of liberating Enerhodar and ZNPP.

The fighters from the Main Directorate of Intelligence tried twice more to land on the left bank of the Dnipro River, and several hundred people participated in the last of these attempts, writes NV.

"But as the Main Directorate of Intelligence gained experience from landing to landing, the Russians in the area became more and more prepared. And at the time of the third amphibious operation, they brought heavy military equipment, including tanks, to the very shore," the material emphasized.

So the special forces again failed to gain a foothold, they retreated. Budanov admitted that both managerial and executive shortcomings hindered the success of the three operations.

However, the head of intelligence emphasized that the Russians did not dare to connect the ZNPP to their energy system.

"Also, the Enerhodar operation played another role: it provided practical skills for everyone – from the command staff to the soldiers – how to act on water. This experience is very well applied and used now. For example, during the landing in Crimea," Budanov noted.

It should be noted that in the temporarily occupied Enerhodar, the local Resistance Movement and the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense helped the Russian occupiers "celebrate" the Day of Migration Units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation with an "explosive fire show."

For reference:

On September 30, information appeared about a special operation called "Barynia," successfully conducted by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. As a result, it was possible to recruit Russian military personnel.

On August 23, the Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Armed Forces ended up in Ukraine due to a long-term special operation of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The pilot and his family are in Ukraine; the family was taken out of Russia early. The Mi-8 remained in Ukraine, along with parts for the fighter jets it was supposed to deliver to the Russians.

After that, Ukrainian intelligence announced that the number of Russian soldiers who wanted to surrender to Ukraine as prisoners increased by 70%.

Also, Ukrainian special forces established control over the "Boyko Towers" in the Black Sea.

In addition, on Independence Day, during a special operation, Ukrainian spies landed on the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea and hung the flag of Ukraine there.