In the fall of 2022, the Ukrainian army tried to take over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from Russia, but the attack failed, writing The Times, citing unnamed Ukrainian special forces, military intelligence and navy sources.
According to the publication, on the night of October 19, 2022, about 600 Ukrainian soldiers in 30 boats equipped with heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons crossed an almost 5 km long section of the Dnieper and tried to land on the left bank, but in vain.
The plan, sources told The Times, was to send infantry into battle, in the hope that the Russian military wouldn’t use artillery for fear of causing a “disaster at the nuclear power plant”.
Soldiers from elite Ukrainian units, including Military Intelligence, the Shaman Battalion, the Kraken Regiment and the Ukrainian Foreign Legion were sent to attack. According to the Times, they did not expect the resistance they eventually encountered: the defense of the nuclear power plant turned out to be dense, the coastline was mined, and the Russian army fired tank guns and artillery.
“Several detachments of Ukrainian special forces on small boats managed to conduct a three-hour firefight with the Russians on the outskirts of Energodar, next to the power station, but the main forces could not land. The Ukrainians tried to attack the Russian tanks on the coast, but it was difficult to fire anti-tank weapons moving at high speed in the water,” the sources of the British newspaper described. According to them, in the end, the commander of the operation decided to retreat in order to avoid heavy losses.
Kiev has made no official statement about this attempt to seize the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the newspaper notes, recalling that the largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been under the control of the Russian armed forces for more than a year.
What is happening with the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and why it is important for Russia and Ukraine
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant came under Russian control in March 2022. At the end of March 2023, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi visited the nuclear power plant. According to him, the agency is developing a “realistic plan” to protect the station, which can be accepted by all parties.
After that, Moscow and Kiev repeatedly accused each other of bombing the territory of the station. The IAEA called for the withdrawal of the Russian army from the territory of the nuclear power plant and an end to hostilities nearby. In October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin sign Decree on the transfer of facilities of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Russian jurisdiction.
