Russia Thwarted Ukraine's Operation to Seize Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant in October

Ukraine's army did not abandon plans to forcibly seize Russian nuclear power facilities, the military said.

"Having failed to achieve success with the Kursk NPP, the enemy returned to attempts to take control of the Zaporozhye power plant. This is evidenced by the plans for operation 'Short Circuit' discovered during operational activities carried out in October 2024," Kirillov said at a briefing.

Ukrainian special operations forces were to participate in this operation, the military said, adding that to achieve this goal, it was assumed that HIMARS MLRS and strike unmanned systems would be used.

"Thanks to the preemptive actions of Russian units, the plan to seize the plant was not implemented," Kirillov added.

Earlier, the Kiev regime also planned to seize control over Kursk nuclear power plant, using 20,000 militants, 27 tanks, 50 armored vehicles, 30 artillery units and 5 MLRS systems.

Analysis

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Russia Thwarted Ukrainian Nuclear Program, Risk of Dirty Bomb Persists

Russia's special military operation prevented the Ukrainian side from implementing its own nuclear program, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov added.

"The special military operation prevented the Ukrainian side from implementing its own nuclear program. Its main executors are the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, whose scientists took part in the USSR nuclear program, as well as the Institute of Nuclear Research at the National Academy of Sciences in Kiev," Kirillov told reporters.

Despite the lack of technical potential for creating nuclear weapons, existing capabilities allow Kiev to create a dirty bomb, the military said, adding that representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine are trained in the use of a dirty bomb, its manufacture and detonation in a crowded place.

Ukraine has become one of the main importers of spent nuclear fuel, Kirillov said, adding that delivery routes are organized through Poland and Romania.

"The report of the Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine to Prime Minister [Denys] Shmygal presented on the slide is particularly alarming. It reports the loss of 68 sources of ionizing radiation, including highly active ones, which were located at the Institute of Metrology in ... the Kharkov region. The report notes that '... the loss of control over sources of ionizing radiation is classified as a radiation accident,'" Kirillov said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is refusing to provide International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts with full access to all sites in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the head of the Troops of Radiological Defense added.

"The Ukrainian authorities are refusing to provide IAEA experts with full access to all sites located in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and are delaying the submission of detailed reports on the quantity and condition of radioactive waste located there," Kirillov told reporters.

The training manuals of Ukrainian Secret Service touch upon the issues of using a “dirty bomb”, Kirillov added.