Russian invaders set up combat positions on reactor buildings at ZNPP - British intel

Russian troops have erected defense positions on the roofs of the reactor units at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

That’s according to the British Ministry of Defense referring to intelligence data, Ukrinform reports.

According to British intelligence, captured images show that by March 2023, Russian troops had established “sandbag fighting positions on the roofs of several of the six reactor buildings.”

Although Russia has controlled the nuclear power plant since March 2022, this is the first indication of the actual reactor buildings being integrated in tactical defense planning.

"Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive,” the report reads.

The move highly likely increases the chances of damage to ZNPP safety systems if fighting takes place around the facility, intelligence analysts stress.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during talks with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated that Russia's presence on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant posed a threat of a Chornobyl-like disaster.