Military intelligence: Russia flies attack drones over occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, footage shows

Russia is flying its "kamikaze" drones over the reactors of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, risking "catastrophic consequences," Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said on May 2.

As evidence, the agency published intercepted camera footage of a Russian drone over the plant. Its flight path supposedly indicates a direction toward the Ukrainian-held communities of Nikopol and Marhanets.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of using the plant as a launching site for drone attacks, presenting a serious security hazard.

Military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Cherniak told the Babel news outlet that because Russia uses the nuclear power station as a drone launching ground, Ukraine cannot fire back in the area of 1.5 kilometers around the plant.

The plant lies at the mostly dried-up Kakhovka Reservoir, just across Nikopol and other settlements that are targeted by Russian drones and artillery on a nearly daily basis.

"The occupiers have established drone launch sites right next to the sixth reactor of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," the military intelligence agency said.

Since the summer of 2023, Russia also began using the plant's territory to train its drone pilots, according to the statement.

"The listed facts are another evidence of the criminal and irresponsible behavior of the Russian aggressor state at the occupied nuclear facility, which could have catastrophic consequences," the agency said.

In April, Russian occupation authorities alleged that the plant and the surrounding perimeter suffered several drone strikes, a claim supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in some of the instances. Kyiv called it a "well-planned false flag operation by the Russian Federation."

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The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta