Russians continue to mine Zaporizhzhia NPP – intelligence
Russian occupation forces continue to mine the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and facilities on its territory. According to Ukrainian intelligence, mines and other explosive devices are currently being brought to the station.
According to Channel 24, a day earlier, the head of Ukrainian intelligence said that the threat of a catastrophe at the ZNPP was “quietly subsiding,” but Russia continues to prepare for possible provocations. Kyrylo Budanov did not explain the reasons for the decrease in preparations for the terrorist attack.
What is the current situation at Zaporizhzhya NPP?
The intelligence agency emphasized that the Russians continue to mine ZNPP, delivering mines and explosives to the facility. In addition, minefields consisting of remote-controlled and unguided anti-personnel mines of the directional type are installed in the technical rooms and in the engine rooms.
According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Soviet-style directional mines are mostly used:
- MES-50,
- MES-90,
- MES-100,
- MES-200.
What is known about these mines
MON are Soviet-style anti-personnel mines. They can be installed in both managed and unmanaged form. The weight of explosives in mines differs depending on the configuration. The smallest MON-50 has 700 grams of hexogen, and the largest MON-200 has 12 kilograms of TNT. MON-50 is also prohibited by the Ottawa Convention.
At the same time, the IAEA experts gained access to a number of facilities at Zaporizhzhia NPP, including the cooling pools. However, they saw “no signs of explosives or mines”. Director General Grossi also said that the IAEA representatives were not allowed to the roofs of the power units.
