BERLIN – An aerial video of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Russia-occupied Ukraine appears to show Russian military trucks parked at the facility, which would likely violate international law.
Defense News was able to independently geolocate video of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in the town of Enrhodar, which was captured by Russian forces after a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The aerial video, which appears to have been taken from a drone, appeared online on Wednesday mid-morning European time. It is widely shared in Ukrainian Telegram groups dedicated to covering the war and sharing war footage.
Several vehicles in a military-style color scheme are visible in the video, parked under a bridge connecting nuclear reactors and the power plant’s radioactive waste treatment buildings, as well as a large truck parked near a laboratory and service building. It appears to be a KamAZ military truck, although the low quality of the video makes it difficult to identify with confidence.
The snow cover seen in the video is consistent with current conditions on the ground, Defense News confirmed using historical satellite imagery and weather data. Zaporizhia has been largely snow-cover-free this winter until earlier this week, indicating that the video’s recent claims are correct.
Among the accounts sharing the video is Vladislav Volosyn, a spokesman for the Defense Forces of Ukraine. “Knowing we won’t fire at the nuclear power plant, the Russians hide their military equipment here,” he said in his post. “They use the territory and facilities of ZNPP as a training ground for their UAV operators. There is also evidence that MLRS attacks on Zaporizhia were carried out several times from here.”
Defense News was unable to independently verify these claims.
The Zaporizhzhia Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear generating station, remains in cold shutdown, meaning the nuclear chain reaction has stopped, and no electricity is being produced. However, nuclear fuel remains on site and must be cooled to avoid a potentially catastrophic meltdown. For this, the plant’s pumps need a reliable supply of electricity, which comes from the external power grid and backup generators.
Armies are generally prohibited under international humanitarian law from storing military logistics vehicles and equipment at nuclear power plants. Article 56 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions specifically requires parties to an armed conflict to “endeavour to avoid placing military objectives, such as troops, weapons or military vehicles, at or near nuclear power plants”.
Nuclear power plants are also afforded special protection “if such an attack could unleash dangerous forces and cause serious harm to the civilian population”, as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions.
During the war, Russia has repeatedly been accused of misusing the nuclear power plant’s premises to store military equipment and ammunition.
After the September 2022 inspection mission, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the international nuclear watchdog, said clearly that “the team observed the presence of Russian military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various locations. [power plant]Unit 1 and Unit 2 park under the overpass connecting the reactor units, along with several military trucks on the ground floor of the turbine hall.
The IAEA has maintained its mission presence at the power plant and continues to document violations, although its efforts have been hampered by Russian chicanery. In July 2024, when the IAEA sought to confirm reports of land mines and explosives at the nuclear station, Russia specifically denied access to reactor blocks 3 and 4 and parts of the cooling system where a military presence had previously been reported.
The power plant has also seen combat action and shelling in its vicinity, which has on several occasions disconnected it from the power grid and forced the use of backup generators.
