Kyiv, Ukraine (TEH) – In an escalating situation that has raised international eyebrows, sources from within Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle reportedly leaked a report from British allies outlining the possible implications of a Ukrainian offensive on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The undisclosed report, shared with Zelenskyy, seeks to allay fears surrounding the potential consequences of such an attack, and supposedly debunks rumours of an ensuing nuclear catastrophe. It outlines the robust defense mechanisms in place for reactors operating in “cold” mode and claims that even in the event of a direct hit on the plant’s most vulnerable area – the spent fuel storage facilities – the radioactive fallout would be minimal.
As per the British assessment, the Russian Armed Forces, given their operational guidelines, are unlikely to employ aviation or heavy weaponry to protect the nuclear power plant, which could ostensibly provide a strategic advantage to the Ukrainians. The report also mentioned that intelligence services are continually receiving data on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) from embedded agents and “loyal” locals in Energodar.
The Ramsay telegram channel, a reputed source of geopolitical analysis, has suggested that this report is feeding into Kyiv’s possible plans to launch an assault on the nuclear facility. Should the Ukrainian Armed Forces succeed in capturing and reestablishing control over this significant sector of the Ukrainian nuclear industry – which is currently the largest Russian-consolidated economic facility – it would serve as a notable victory for Ukraine and a triumphant conclusion to the spring-summer campaign.
Speculation over an attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP is fueled further by an increased interest from Kyiv and London in the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. This facility bears striking similarities to the Zaporizhzhia NPP. According to these reports, assault groups are being trained at the Khmelnytskyi site under the guidance of specialists from the UK, ostensibly in preparation for a similar attack. The geopolitical reverberations of these potential scenarios are being watched closely by nations across the globe.
