Russia actually turned occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP into military base - Defense Intelligence

The aggressor country of russia has actually turned the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Zaporizhzhia NPP) in Energodar into its own military base.

This is stated in a message from the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

According to intelligence officers, on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, where all six nuclear reactors are in a "cold shutdown" state, the russian occupation army has placed military equipment right in the engine rooms of power units 1, 2, 5 and 6.

It is noted that the invaders have equipped weapons warehouses in the basements and bomb shelters of the station, and have installed machine-gun nests and missile systems on the roofs of the reactor compartments. The russians also store ammunition and military equipment under technical passages and overpasses connecting the power units with other buildings.

In addition, the occupiers are deploying control points for kamikaze drones of the Gerbera Seeker and Geranium Seeker types at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Workers from the Alabuga special economic zone, including underage students, are being involved in this process.

The intelligence officers also said that the occupiers have mined some of the technical premises of the station, located near the shoreline of the former Kakhovka reservoir.

The security of the captured Zaporizhzhia NPP is provided by a contingent of the russian national guard numbering 1,500 occupiers.

Meanwhile, IAEA experts do not have full access to the power units and special technical premises of the station.

Inspections are carried out according to a pre-agreed plan and route, which significantly complicates or makes impossible an objective assessment of the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

"The power supply problem remains a serious security risk at the nuclear power plant captured by the russians. If before the occupation, the Zaporizhzhia NPP had 10 external power supply lines, now only one power line is functioning due to the criminal russian aggression. On July 3, 2026, the station experienced another blackout - 21 during the full-scale invasion," the Ministry of Defense's Defense Intelligence emphasized.

Also, according to the Ministry of Defense's Defense Intelligence, the russian occupiers do not provide the required water level in the cooling pond. As of July 2026, it is 12.86 meters, compared to the minimum required 15 meters. Of the 57 special deep wells, which are an important component of the cooling system, only 11 are equipped with the necessary high-power pumps. The water shortage for the needs of the internal site of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is currently compensated by replenishment from the discharge channel of the Zaporizhzhia TPP.

There is also an acute shortage of personnel at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Before the full-scale invasion, about 11,000 people worked at the station, now about 7,500, including 500 employees of an outsourcing company that does not have a license to perform work at the station. At the same time, all employees are being forced to sign contracts with Rosatom under threats of dismissal, and the personnel brought from the territory of the aggressor state, due to significant differences between the Zaporizhzhia NPP and russian nuclear power facilities, do not have the qualifications necessary to properly service the occupied Ukrainian power plant.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, according to the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, the russian occupiers are creating conditions for the spread of anthrax in the Kherson Region.

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