The Ukrainian military in October 2022 tried to recapture the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which was occupied by the Russian military. The Times writes about this with reference to representatives of the Ukrainian special forces, intelligence and the Navy.
As the publication found out, on the night of October 19, about 600 Ukrainian servicemen on 30 armored boats, armed with heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launchers, tried to land on the left bank of the Dnieper.
“The idea was that it would be an infantry-only fight. They will not be able to use artillery against us, since this is a nuclear power plant, ”said one of the newspaper’s interlocutors.
However, at the power plant they encountered resistance from the Russian military. “The Russians built a very dense defense, they mined everything. When we approached, they even pulled up tanks and artillery and started firing at us right on the water,” the source said.
At the same time, according to the president of the Ukrainian state nuclear enterprise Energoatom, Petr Kotin, despite the strategic importance of the facility, the Russian occupation was poorly disciplined, chaotic and dangerous. “They do whatever they want when it comes to their mind. For example, one group begins to repair the line connecting the ZNPP with the Ukrainian power grid, then another group will fire at it, ”he said in a conversation with the publication.
However, only a small group of Ukrainian soldiers were able to reach the shore, they exchanged fire with the Russians, but retreated three hours later.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed representative of the "administration" of the Zaporozhye region, first reported this failed assault on 19 October. The assault attempt was also confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. But Kyiv never acknowledged the attack, the newspaper writes.