Ukraine’s secret attempt to retake the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
With meltdown an ever-present threat, the stakes behind the attack could not have been higher. Kyiv’s great gamble is explained by Maxim Tucker
In the dead of night last October a Ukrainian special forces team boarded a 40ft armoured patrol boat, taking up positions at its three heavy machineguns and Mk19 automatic grenade launcher.
They were among nearly 600 elite troops scattered along the north bank of the Dnipro River, which carves through Zaporizhzhia region. The teams boarded more than 30 vessels bristling with weapons, formidable gifts from friends in the West.
Their orders: to launch an assault to recapture the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the Russians on the opposite bank.
Kyiv has never acknowledged attacking Europe’s largest nuclear power station but Ukrainian special forces, military intelligence and navy personnel involved have revealed to The Times details of the highly dangerous operation to recover the site.
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