A translation of a report by Ukrainian “24 Kanal” on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant where numerous explosions took place in the past days. The plant is currently under control of the Russian forces.

The translation is provided by https://twitter.com/Anastasiya1451A

0:00-1:00

Scenes from Russian-occupied Donetsk where Russian military installations were hit by probably HIMARS or similar systems. Images are sent by the locals reporting fires in Russian ammunition depots. So now, they have fewer ammo storages. In the previous days, the ammunition depots were destroyed in Makievka. This is crucial as Russia is trying to advance from there and attack on the direction of Maryinka-Pisky. They also probably planning to advance on Avdiyvka. Therefore, we must destroy enemy’s [military] infrastructure, to destroy their ammunition.

1:00-3:10

Yesterday, there was air-raid siren in many regions of the country. Apart from missile attack on Vinnytsa, we are watching Zaporizhia with its strategic sites, the nuclear power plant. Moreover, Zaporizhia is a frequent target for Russian attacks. While yesterday there were no strikes on Zaporizhia nuclear plant (in Energodar), the situation is highly worrying and president Zelensky reminded again that Russia is once more resorting to the nuclear blackmail and terrorism. After the Russian strikes on 6th of August, we can expect anything coming from Russians. To remind you of what happened, on 6th of August there were incoming strikes, probably from a rocket launcher, that disrupted electrical cables and one of the energy block [on the nuclear power plant] went onto emergency shutdown. Some other key infrastructure was damaged, such as water supply to the plant.

Many of the world leaders, IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], as well as UN, condemned Russian actions. Secretary General of UN, António Guterres, called to Russia to allows international experts to have access to the power plant. We are not sure how kindly he asked Russia or if Russia is actually listening as there is zero reaction from Kremlin right now. Moreover, knowing Russians, it wouldn’t matter even if he begged on his knees for them as Kremlin and the Russian leadership do not care. At least, it is important that the international community is paying attention and is speaking up on this issue.

3:10-7:15

Next, to get some updates on what’s going on the ground in Zaporizhja region we have out colleague that is working there:

• What are the news from Energodar and the nuclear power plant?

• In reality, the Russia is conduction PsycOps around the nuclear power plant, for which they [Russians] organised all those strikes and so on. The main idea here, as it was with the previous report by Amnesty International, is that “Ukraine is shooting at nuclear power plant so the West should stop supply them with weapons”. Now, even the locals are laughing at these strikes, ironically, of course. The last strikes were from the prophylactic area of the Thermal Energy Plant [Приднепровская ТЭС/ Prydneprovska thermal power station] in the direction of the city. They hit the summer house cooperative town. Yet, they, from the office of Konashenkov, are claiming that “the 45th Ukrainian artillery brigade, from the city of Marganets, Dnipropetrovska region, hired 20 152mm shells in the direction of the power plant”.
• Firstly, the brigade that they mentioned is using 155mm ammo. Secondly, Russians haven’t showed yet any of the shells that were supposedly fired by Ukraine in the direction of the nuclear power plant.
• In reality, we know that our guys, when firing against Russian artillery, sometimes hit the Russian GRAD systems that are exiting in the Southern directions, about 20km from Energodar, to fire on Nikopol.
• Actually, the hysteria around the nuclear power plant is reaching its new heights. The Russian sources started to share a “hilarious” document, quoting the head of radiation, biological and chemical weapons protection unit of the Russian Federation, General Major Valeriy Vasil’ev. So the highest expert of their army that is here from the end of March. So, the [Russian] propagandist write that Vasil’ev has addressed the Russian garrison in response to “the panic by international organisations, such as IAEA, regarding the situation in Zaporizhska nuclear power plant”.

Next, cite a quote by Vasil’ev (6:35-7:15, in Russian):

“You all understand that there is a war for the very existence of the Russian nation. For your right to live in peace and harmony with everyone. Yet, if the collective West denies us this right. If the US weapons, mercenaries and instructors are going to be used in ceasing of territories that we managed to liberate, then we are ready to many diverse scenarios. This power plant was built by Russian people for all the Slavic brothers. Now, the Nazis decided to “de-communize” our collective past. Therefore, we will have here either a Russian free land or a burned desert. And you, the soldiers of the Great Russian Army, must be ready to execute an important order.”

7:15- 9:55

• Next, he continues with more hysteria. To be honest, I doubt that Vasil’ev really said it. Our experts from the secret service identified the author of this text document – a [pro-russia] separatist Volodja, that fled to Russian in 2014, spent time in Moscow and all those “D/LNR”. Now he came back to the Melitopol and is in change of all the propaganda work there.
• Actually, he is also well known to Ukrainian from his “essay” on Russian TV about how teachers are forcing Ukrainian pupils to kill common bullfinches [bird] because they are red [one of the colours of Russian and USSR flags] and to feed blue tits [birds] because they are yellow and blue [colours of Ukrainian flag]. Now he is writing the same king of fiction literary work, but on the subject of nuclear power plants. For example, the claim about “built by Russian people for the Slavic brothers”: let me remind you that in USSR [when the plant was built] there were Slavs, Tajiks, Kazaks and many different ethnicities and nations. Yet, know they are “liberating” the power plant for the Slavs.
• We see that all this hysteria is aiming to discredit Ukrainian army. And for our compatriots, that are worried that they [Russians] will blow up the power plant, I can say that it’s almost impossible to destroy the station. And even if the rashist try to do something with this station and there will be a radioactive leak, they will need to evacuate the Northern Crimea, Berdyanks, Mariupol. Then, as it will spread to Novoazovsk and farther… So, in reality they won’t blow up the nuclear power plant, as that would be the last thing that they would do –  to cause a nuclear catastrophe under the watch of the international community. Yet, this kind of “informational noise” keeps spreading. Even some of our Ukrainian sources are saying that the Russia will disconnect the station from Ukrainian electrical grid and connect it to the Russian one. This is not trivial –  you need to work for months to manage it and one hit by HIMARS would destroy all their work.

10:00 –11:55

• In reality, Russians are quite careful with the what they do there. There is even a group of experts form ROSATOM [Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation] who tell them [russian army] where you can (carefully) and cannot shoot. For example, they have previously damaged the nigrogen-oxygen station which is important for the nuclear power plant. They have immediately made emergency repairs.
• All the hysteria that you are hearing about the Zaporizhja nuclear power plant is just that – Russian propaganda. Yes, there are some safety concerns but they are not as critical as some claim them to be.
• Speaking of Guterres request about the IAEA visit, all the demands from UN, etc. they are not very useful.
• The international community must sanction ROSATOM – it’s a large international organisation that built nuclear power plants all around the world. If you introduce sanctions against them, so they cannot sign new contracts, manage the nuclear fuel, operate the stations –  that’s what they are afraid of.
• For example, after the invasion of Ukraine [on 24/02/2022], Finland banned ROSATOM from building nuclear power plant in the Finnish territory. The ROSATOM won the tender but now they are banned and there won’t be a russian nuclear power plant in Finland. Instead it will be built by someone else.
• There is also a scandal with ROSATOM in Turkey where to please Putin they kicked out a Turkish subcontractor.

11:55-12:26

• So, the IAEA visit won’t do anything. What will they do? Come for a visit and make recommendations that Russia will never follow?
• Instead, I would focus on the economic side. Our president Zelensky has already spoken with Josep Borrell to sanction ROSATOM. This would have an effect. Otherwise, they [Russians] will continue to fire from the territory of nuclear power plant and blackmail with the nuclear disaster. In reality they won’t destroy the station.

12:26-15:35

Apart from the nuclear power plant issue, there were successful hits on Russian troops with HIMARS. The aerodrome was hit, that’s where the rashist keep bringing their equipment and keep being hit by Ukrainian missiles. Also, the Russian base in a local factory. The number of destroyed equipment and troops are to be confirmed. On a video of this event, you can see that they tried to use their air-defence system, S-300, but it was useless and they know it.

The Russians keeps transferring their troops to Zaporizhja region: now there are members of the mercenary group Wagner appeared here. They are normally places in the location of a preparing attack and the military experts say that rashists may try to attack in some directions in Zaporizhja region by 10th of August.

We thought that they are interested in Mykolaiv/Kherson, but now it seems that they may try something in the direction of Zaporizhja city, Guljajpole, Orihiv.

 On the other hand our guys are advancing. There are reports of Ukrainian troops advancing from Guljajpole in the direction of Pology, liberating some territories. The Ukrainian troops are posting videos, reporting their advances. In particular, the National Guard used Gvozdika artillery system to fire on the enemy, the TerOborona [the territorial defence] showed video of the Russian being hit as a result. Also, a unit of TerOborona showed a trophy – a Russian APC, completely intact and ready to be used once we wipe the letter “Z” from it.