Russian forces don't allow ZNPP personnel to access hydraulic structures - Enerhodar Mayor Orlov

Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, said this on Espreso TV. 

“The Russians started mining the second week after they occupied the plant. There have been numerous cases of these mines exploding and damaging technological equipment. They do not allow local personnel to access the hydraulic structures, so only military personnel are there. It is possible that there are mines there and they are preparing something - I think this scenario cannot be ruled out after the recent Kakhovka HPP explosion,” he said.

Orlov expressed hope that they would not do so, because there would be unpredictable consequences, such as the possibility of releasing radioactive substances into the atmosphere and the environment.

“We hope that everything will be fine and that they have something in their minds - they will not commit such a terrible crime using nuclear substances,” the mayor summarized.

Situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian troops occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP in late February 2022. Since then, personnel and military equipment have been permanently stationed there, which the invading forces store in the machine rooms and from time to time bring to positions to shell the territories of the Nikopol district, Dnipropetrovsk region, located on the other side of the Kakhovka reservoir.

An IAEA monitoring mission is working there to ensure that the plant is not used as a military base, that the plant is not attacked or fired upon, and that external power supplies are not interrupted. However, blackouts at the NPP occur constantly. Since last year, Russian troops have started bringing explosives to ZNPP.

In May 2023, Russian forces had placed explosives in the turbine room of the fourth power unit of the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. They also almost completely destroyed the emergency preparedness and response system at the nuclear power plant.

On June 22, IAEA Director General Grossi said after visiting ZNPP that the situation there was extremely unstable.

The head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russia has completed preparations for a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On June 29, Ukraine launched large-scale exercises in case of a possible terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The emergency services will be practicing an algorithm of actions in 4 regions.

On June 30, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported that the occupying Russian forces were gradually leaving the ZNPP, and that Ukrainian employees who had signed a contract with Rosatom also received evacuation recommendations. In addition, the plant's staff received an order to blame Ukraine in any emergency situation.

The head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russian troops have prepared everything for a man-made disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.