LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) – Russian military forces have in recent weeks strengthened their defensive positions in and around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, where the Russian Minister of Health was on Friday. Defense.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday inspected the headquarters of Russian forces fighting in the Zaporizhia region, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Defense Ministry.
New trenches were dug around the town and new mines were laid, sources said, as the plant’s surveillance cameras pointed north towards Ukrainian-controlled territory.
For several months, the Russians have set up firing positions on top of some of the factory buildings. Nets have been erected to deter drones.
These measures described by two Ukrainians working at the plant and two other inhabitants of the town of Enerhodar underline the risks that the war poses to the safety of the installation.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to ensure their safety in a city under Russian occupation.
According to Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine’s Energoatom nuclear agency, the number of Russian soldiers at the plant has risen from around 500 to 1,500 in recent months.
All four sources said they heard occasional bangs, which they assumed were caused by stray animals stepping on mines. One of the workers saw tracer bullets being fired into the night sky from the roof of one of the factory buildings, likely aimed at a drone.
While the strengthening of troops and defenses indicate that the occupying forces are moving in, there are signs that the Russians are keeping an eye out for a possible evacuation.
The power plant and the city of Enerhodar are connected by a single main road to Melitopol, the largest Russian-occupied city in the Zaporizhia region in the southeast, which provides Russia with a land corridor to the peninsula of Occupied Crimea.
According to Petro Kotin, the Russian forces would have to retreat if it appeared that this road was going to be cut.
Russian forces may have already carried out evacuation drills at the plant, he added.
“In my opinion, they are preparing for evacuation, which is to say, they gather everything in one place to be ready to take everything and get out of there.”
Two of the sources at Enerhodar said they saw Russian forces this month take radiology and laboratory equipment from a hospital, as well as equipment from closed Ukrainian banks in the town of Enerhodar.
Ukraine has announced its intention to mount a major counter-offensive soon, and is expected to strike in the south due to its strategic importance as a bridge to Crimea and the Black Sea.
Russia has erected fortifications stretching from western Russia to Crimea, and the trenches are particularly extensive on the way from Ukrainian lands to Melitopol, suggesting that Moscow is expecting an attack at this place.
Russian-installed officials announced the evacuation of frontline areas in the Zaporizhia region, including Enerhodar. They claim to have already evacuated more than 1,500 people.
RISK OF NUCLEAR FUSION
While Russia’s national nuclear energy company Rosatom has assured that equipment at the plant is properly maintained, it said any military action by Ukraine would pose a threat to nuclear security. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Some alarmed nuclear industry experts have warned that any damage to the plant could have disastrous consequences for the people, the surrounding region, the war and the global nuclear industry.
“Nuclear reactors were not designed for war zones and I don’t think they can be safe or secure in a war zone,” said Nickolas Roth, director of the Nuclear Threat Initiative think tank.
Petro Kotin said he did not believe Ukrainian forces would mount an attack directly on the site. They could instead try to force the Russians to retreat by cutting supply lines.
However, the international community fears that the six-unit nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, could be caught up in the fighting.
The UN nuclear watchdog says military presence and activity are increasing in the region, underscoring the need for urgent action. For months, she has been warning of the risk of a major accident at the plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to submit an agreement later this month with Russia and Ukraine to protect the facility, four diplomats told Reuters.
Petro Kotin believes that the greatest threat to the plant’s safety would be the cutting of the last external power line needed to cool the plant’s reactors. In the event of an outage, only emergency diesel generators can prevent a meltdown.
“If all the pumps stop, you will have between an hour and a half and three days and the meltdown will be triggered,” he claimed.
Back-up generators have already worked six times for short periods when power went out due to bombing, which Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for. (Reporting Tom Balmforth and Sarah McFarlane; with contributions by Yuka Obayashi; French version Gaëlle Sheehan, editing by Kate Entringer)
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