The Russians have doubled the number of their troops at the seized Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, two employees of the plant told Sky News.
The level of military activity has increased dramatically over the past few weeks. The Russians are strengthening their positions by moving more armoured vehicles, ammunition and weapons closer to the plant.
According to ZNPP employees, the Russians know that Ukrainian troops will not shell the plant, so they are deploying additional forces.
"The fact is that a month and a half ago, there were half as many troops at the power plant, and now there are twice as many, so they are definitely preparing for a counter-offensive," said one of the interlocutors.
ZNPP employees say that for 30 years they could not imagine that a power outage could occur. It has happened seven times since the occupation.
In addition, the backup generators that provide power to the plant during such outages are not properly maintained due to a lack of staff. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, approximately 11,000 people worked at the plant, but now only 3,500 do.
The interlocutors of the publication noted that there is a shortage of repairmen who can maintain and troubleshoot. In addition, the quality of workers is lower, as qualified personnel have left the plant. Overall, the situation at the plant is deteriorating.
Five of the six reactors are currently in a state of "cold shutdown", but there are concerns that Russia could use the power plant to organise a false flag attack.
Ukrainian intelligence recently warned that the Russians are planning to simulate an attack on ZNPP facilities to accuse Ukrainian troops of disrupting their counter-offensive.
Meanwhile, on 30 May, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi presented an updated security plan for ZNPP.