In the portion of the Zaporozhye region controlled by Ukrainian forces, some residents who align with local authorities have expressed reluctance to participate in territorial defense while supporting the Kyiv government. This was reported by Vladimir Rogov, a senior advisor to the pro-Russian administration in Zaporozhye, via RIA Novosti.
Rogov noted that some Cossacks do not want to fight en masse and are seeking ways to side with the local population, arguing that arming people in the region by Kyiv could backfire as loyalties shift. The statement suggested that the Cossacks prefer not to fight, kill, or die for Ukraine, including President Zelensky. (Source: RIA Novosti, as broadcast on Russia 24.)
Rogov added that clashes are occurring between residents who feel pressured into joining territorial defense units and others who resist or block such detachments. He claimed that the Kyiv-led territorial defense in the portion of the region under Ukrainian control may be erased by these pressures and opposition, reflecting nationalist perspectives. (Source: Rogov, Russia 24.)
The Russian Federation asserts it controls the south and center of the region, totaling more than half of Zaporozhye, while the regional capital, Zaporozhye, remains under Ukrainian administration. Meanwhile, Russian forces have occupied Berdyansk, Melitopol, and Energodar, home to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest. (Source: official statements and regional authorities.)
NATO guided missiles
Rogov stated on 12 August that Ukrainian forces fired on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant using guided missiles supplied by Western nations. (Source: Volodymyrov Rogov, Russia 24.)
Officials from Russia emphasized that the plant had been subjected to bombardments with guided missiles, arguing that such weapons are dangerous because they are controllable and can be directed to specific targets. Since early August, the plant’s vicinity has seen regular shelling, which Moscow says is conducted by Ukrainian forces, raising concerns about nuclear safety. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted no immediate threat to nuclear safety based on initial assessments, though the situation could deteriorate if bombardment continues. (Source: IAEA briefing and statements from UN meetings.)
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, and Western allies urged actions to avoid a radiation release from the ZNPP, while Kyiv and its partners have accused Russia of bombing the plant directly. (Source: UN and government briefings.)
“Dirty Bomb”
Yevhen Balitsky, head of the pro-Russian administration in Zaporozhye, alleged that Ukrainian forces deliberately targeted a nuclear waste storage facility at the Zaporizhzhya plant to provoke radiation release. He warned that such an attack could create air pollution and render the region uninhabitable, describing it as an attempt to deploy a “dirty bomb.” Balitsky also noted continued protection of the storage site and claimed no direct hit occurred. (Source: Balitsky, official remarks.)
He cautioned that a precise strike on the concrete storage yard could have catastrophic consequences, likening the potential release to a crisis similar to Chernobyl. Balitsky called for an end to actions threatening the plant’s nuclear security. He noted that the ZNPP is presently operated by Energoatom personnel under Russian military control. (Source: Balitsky, press statements.)
What awaits Zaporozhye?
On 8 August, Vladimir Rogov hinted that Zaporozhye officials were examining the possibility of electronic voting in a referendum on joining Russia. He indicated that technical readiness would be pursued but that no experiments would be conducted. (Source: Rogov, regional updates.)
During a regional forum in Melitopol, Yevhen Balitsky signed a decree to hold a referendum on reunification with Russia, with more than 700 delegates endorsing the move. Rogov had previously suggested that a referendum could take place in the first half of September, though exact dates remained uncertain as election commissions were still being formed. (Source: regional forums and official decrees.)