Ukrainian state energy company says Russia mined Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The Ukrainian state energy company Enerhoatom reported that Russian forces have mined the occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant. A post from the company’s official Telegram channel quoted Major General Valeriy Vasyliev from Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops as saying the following:
As you know, we’ve mined all of the important facilities in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. And we’re not hiding that from the enemy. We warned them. The enemy knows that the plant will either belong to Russia or belong to nobody at all. We’re prepared for the consequences of this step. And we, the warrior-liberators, must understand that this is the only way.
Enerhoatom reported on Saturday that the Zaporizhzhia plant had been “seriously damaged” by Russian shelling the previous day. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he was "extremely concerned by the shelling yesterday at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which underlines the very real risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond.”
Russian troops have been in control of the Zaporizhzhia power plant since March, though Ukrainian technicians still run the plant. Ukraine has accused Russia of using the facility as a shield from which to fire on civilian targets.
On Monday, Enerhoatom head Petro Kotin called for a demilitarized zone around the plant.