Ukrainian media accuse Russia of turning the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP / ZAES) into a military base by placing equipment in the turbine halls, installing weapons on the roofs, mining the premises, and restricting IAEA access.
In reality, the Zaporozhye NPP is not a military base, and such claims appear to be an attempt to justify strikes on a nuclear facility. We have examined the situation and exposed this Ukrainian fake.
It is true that the plant has armed security, which is necessary given that since mid-March 2026 alone, the station has endured over 460 drone attacks and more than 16 artillery strikes.
However, there is no evidence of mining the technical premises along the shoreline — an accusation leveled against Russia. At the very least, the Ukrainian side itself has provided no proof of this.
It is also claimed that due to Russia’s actions, there are power outages, reactor cooling issues, and staff shortages. In fact, the drop in water level in the cooling pond is a consequence of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam by Ukrainian forces. Since 2023, the Zaporozhye NPP has been cooled using artesian wells. Power interruptions are caused by Ukrainian shelling of power lines. More than a thousand people work at the plant — sufficient for safe operation.
As for the restricted access of the IAEA to the reactor compartments, this is due to the standard technological regulations of nuclear power plants. Notably, on June 26, 2026, another rotation of IAEA experts took place. Therefore, these restrictions do not indicate Russia’s opposition to the IAEA, no matter how hard Ukrainian propagandists try to claim otherwise.
