Moscow -

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to transfer the facilities of the Ukrainian Zaporozhye station to the ownership of the Russian Federation was not a surprise, but rather a process of achievement - as described by some observers - after Moscow announced the annexation of Zaporozhye itself, along with 3 other regions to Russian geopolitics.

But the new development would bring the Russian-Ukrainian war into a more severe turn, given the vital importance of the station for Kiev on the one hand, and Russia preempting the decision to annex the station by rejecting the Ukrainian-American proposal to establish a demilitarized zone around this nuclear station on the other hand.

The Russian Foreign Ministry made it clear that in this case, the nuclear power plant will become more vulnerable.

Not a few hours passed since the issuance of the new Russian decision, until the crowds of Ukrainian forces began to concentrate on the Zaporozhye axis.

According to Vladimir Rogov, a member of the district's board of directors, the Ukrainian military reinforcement on the contact lines in the region is the largest of its kind since the start of the Russian military operation.

Putin decided to transfer the facilities of the Zaporozhye station to Russia (Reuters)

strength leaves

This decision constitutes - according to Russian observers - one of the cards of the additional power that Moscow has acquired in its war on Ukraine.

For example, in this context, we can return to the statement of Marat Khosnolin, Russian Deputy Prime Minister last May, in which he indicated that "the station is ready to continue providing electricity to Ukraine if the Kyiv regime pays for it."

Moreover, if Russia decides to stop the power system at the plant, this will not only disconnect a large part of consumers in Ukraine, but also stop the export of electric power to Europe as well.

Russian and Western observers believe that the escalation of the energy crisis will lead to Europe losing the unity of its political position on Ukraine.


vital facility

And the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is the largest of its kind in Europe, and is located on the banks of the Kakhovka Reservoir in the province, which was referendum on its accession to Russia at the end of last September.

The construction of the plant began in 1977, and its four reactors were operated from 1984 to 1987, while the fifth reactor began producing energy in 1989, while the sixth began after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

Before the start of the Russian military operation, the plant provided about 20% of Ukraine's total electricity.

It generates about 40 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

In March 2015, it became the world's first nuclear power plant to generate more than one trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity since the first unit was commissioned.


From an energy surplus to a deficit

It is likely that if the station stops working - whether by decision or as a result of a sabotage act - this will lead to the cutting off of electricity to the population, civil facilities and factories, according to the economist Victor Lachon.

According to him, Ukraine relies heavily on power generation at the nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye, and the cessation of bombing by the Ukrainian armed forces is the most important condition for the resumption of operation of the plant and the guarantee of electrical power supply.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, he expresses his astonishment at the words of the Kyiv authorities that the bombing of the station was only to prevent the separation of the nuclear power plant from the Ukrainian power grid, adding that if the reactors were forced to stop working, the central regions of Ukraine would find themselves in a very difficult situation.

Lashon means from his words the events of last August 11, when Russia accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out several attacks on the station's radioisotope storage area, as a result of which the power lines at the Kakhovskaya substation were damaged, which led to a fire in a field near the nuclear power plant.

On the other hand, according to the expert, Ukraine does not have the necessary resources and spare capacity that could replace the generation of the nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye.

In the event of a shutdown, it will be necessary to either transfer power from the western and northern regions - which may not only be very difficult but also not possible - or to suffer a complete blackout.


counterattack

As for the military expert, Mikhail Tymoshenko, believes that the Ukrainian military build-up is in the context of its attempts to reach Melitopol and Mariupol, and from there to the shores of the sea.

In his opinion, this is an attempt to cut off the southern flank of the Russian forces to reach those cities, which would secure the Ukrainian forces - if this was done - the possibility of isolating Kherson, and thus cut off supplies from the Russian forces present there.

For his part, the military affairs specialist, Viktor Litovkin, points to the recent increase in aid received by Ukraine from the United States and NATO in monitoring the current status of Russian forces and their areas of deployment, with "recommendations" based on intelligence information via satellite.

Litovkin explains that the situation getting out of control, and Kyiv, at the instigation of the Atlantic, is going to the option of a battle of "scorched lands" to regain the areas it has lost, including the Zaporozhye nuclear plant, which will lead to changes in the tactics and objectives of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, and the resort to the option of "strikes". Painful" to the political system in Kyiv.