“The Russians built a very dense defense.” Last fall, elite units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to recapture the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, but failed - The Times

In October 2022, 600 fighters of the elite units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to storm the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which by that time had been controlled by the Russian military for more than six months. The Times writes about this with reference to the participants in the operation, whose names were not disclosed.

According to them, on the night of October 19, the Ukrainian military crossed the Dnieper on more than 30 speed boats. They planned to land on the other side of the river and gain a foothold on the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, but failed due to well-organized Russian defense and fierce resistance.

“The Russians built a very dense defense, they mined everything. When we were approaching, they even pulled up tanks and artillery and started shelling us right on the water,” one of the Ukrainian officers who participated in the operation explained to the publication.

He said that the landing of the Ukrainian special forces was preceded by artillery preparation, during which the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Russian positions on the banks of the Dnieper, including with high-precision HIMARS missiles. However, this did not produce the desired effect, and the Ukrainian landing force was met with dense fire, including from tanks and artillery. This violated the plans of the Ukrainian military, who expected that the enemy would not be able to use artillery in such close proximity to the nuclear power plant.

As a result, according to the newspaper, most of the landing groups retreated. Only one of them managed to land and engage in a firefight on the outskirts of the city of Energodar, which lasted three hours. Without waiting for reinforcements, this group was also forced to return.

On the evening of October 19, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced an attempt by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to land troops on the left bank of the Kakhovka reservoir. The department then explained that the Ukrainian military attacked Russian positions "with forces up to two companies." The Ministry of Defense also announced the destruction of more than 90 military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 14 boats.

The Ukrainian authorities have not officially commented on this information.

Sources: The Times , Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

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