Ukraine’s Western-Backed Gamble to Capture Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Backfires

PART 1

Ukraine’s Western-Backed Gamble to Capture Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Backfires

By Larry Johnson 

The title sums it up in a nutshell. The intelligence services of the U.K. and the United States put together a plan and directed Ukraine to carry it out, i.e., capture the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, ZNP, from the Russians on the very day UN Inspectors were scheduled to arrive.

This was a highly coordinated operation. For example, David Ignatius, a reliable shill for the CIA, wrote a piece in the Washington Post–Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Is More Than Just Bravado. His cheerleading for Ukraine is no mere coincidence on the same day the Ukrainian Army gambled and lost at Zaporizhzhia:

As Ukraine mounts a new counteroffensive in the southern part of the country, Zelensky’s bravado risks setting expectations too high. In truth, Ukraine probably won’t liberate its territory this year, or even next.

Still, as Ukrainian forces push toward the Black Sea coast, Zelensky is delivering a defiant response to President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Ukraine is not a real country. Not only can Ukraine survive, it also can regain some of its occupied land.

The best defense is a good offense, as military strategists have argued for centuries. And if Ukraine’s drive toward the coast succeeds, it would restore the country’s economic viability by relieving pressure on its port city of Odessa. Moreover, it could threaten Russia’s occupation of Crimea by cutting into the land bridge that connects to the Russian-controlled Donbas region in the east.

The Ukrainian attempt to capture the ZNP consisted of two river crossings:

1) Seven speed boats, carrying about 60 Ukrainian commandos, landed 2 miles northeast of the ZNP

2) Two barges, carrying 120 airborne commandos each, launched several miles south of the ZNP

The Russian Ministry of Defense provides an accurate summary of the action:

On the morning of September 1, the Kiev regime attempted a major provocation to disrupt the arrival of IAEA expert working group at the ZNP.

At 6:20 AM, seven fast-moving motorboats landed on the coast of Kakhovskoye reservoir, three kilometres (2 miles) northeast of the ZNP, with two sabotage groups of up to 60 people in total.

The sabotage groups were detected and blocked in the drop-off area by Russian National Guard units guarding the territory of the ZNP.

A unit of the Russian Armed Forces and helicopters of the army aviation arrived to reinforce Russian Guard troops to suppress the attempt to enter the nuclear power plant. The Ukrainian saboteurs were destroyed.

At about 7:00 AM, units of the Russian Armed Forces prevented another attempted landing to seize the power plant.

A few kilometres from the ZNP near Vodyanoye, an attempt was made to land two self-propelled barges from Nikopol, each carrying 120 tactical airborne assault troops. They were sunk as a result of the Russian Armed Forces’ shelling. There were no survivors, because all were heavily loaded with combat gear.

As of 8:00 a.m., the Kiev regime has blocked the passage of IAEA expert mission from controlled territory to the ZNP

Ukrainian artillery is shelling the territory of the ZNP; and the meeting place of IAEA mission with Russian specialists near Vasil’evka; and the route of their movement to Energodar.

Four shells exploded 400 meters from the 1st unit of the ZNP.

If Ukraine had pulled this off, it would have been a major black eye for the Russians, and would have put the nuclear plant back in Ukrainian hands. It would have marked the first serious victory for Ukraine.

There is an old saying, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts it would be Christmas every day.”

Christmas did not come for Ukraine. They got their ass handed to them.

NOTE:

For months, Ukraine had been accusing Russia, which occupied the plant, of bombarding/endangering the nuclear plant, I.e., the Russians bombing themselves, which is pure nonsense.

All sorts of dire nuclear disaster outcomes were predicted by the Ukrainians to keep the pot boiling

However, it was the Ukrainians who had been doing the bombarding

Russia proved it with satellite images, and shell fragments on the plant site, fired by US-provided artillery guns, at a UN Security Council meeting, and to the IAEA inspectors

The Western media had dutifully chimed in with the Ukraine nonsense messages for weeks.

The Ukrainian troops selected to carry out this operation clearly had advanced training. Some sources report the UK did the training and MI-6, a UK-style CIA, had the lead in planning the operation.

The US CIA’s role appears to have been providing support on the information warfare front, such as, getting Ignatius to tee up an article, and providing target co-ordinates, movements of Russian troops, etc.

Ukrainian sources are privately bitching someone leaked the Special Op to the Russians

However, Russia has dedicated satellites that can see anything the size of a glove from more than 200 miles up.

It was an elaborate ambush. These were highly trained troops Ukraine could not afford to lose. There was a substantial investment in time and money to train them for this mission. I estimate at least two months were devoted to the training and equipping of these two attack elements.

This was not the brain child of the Ukrainians. This has the fingerprints of western intelligence all over it. That is why there were so many western reporters on hand.

If Ukraine had succeeded, the operation would have dominated western news coverage. “Ukraine’s stunning victory.” Success would have bought Zelensky and Ukraine more time.

But this was a failure, and it is likely to have some rather nasty side effects.

The Ukrainians have lost some, if not all, faith in the competence and promises of the UK and the US intelligence offices. I am pretty sure the Ukrainians were promised that this would be a swift victory and would catch the Russians with their pants down.

Just consider how things would look if Ukraine had pulled this off.

With Ukrainian forces in control of the ZNP,  the IAEA inspection team would arrive and would have “certified” Russia was shelling the place. In fact, with the IAEA present, it would have been crazy for Russia to try to take back the ZNP

Note, the IAEA team came prepared to leave some of its members behind. I would not be surprised to learn that the head of the IAEA team was briefed on the Special Op, and was prepared to play the role assigned to him.

Whoops. Russian killed those plans along with hundreds of Ukrainian troops involved in the operation.

One Telegram channel offers a dire assessment of the Ukrainian Kherson offensive:

The second wave of Ukrainian offense on Kherson ends in a predictable disaster, 2000 or more KIA, and between 5 and 6 thousand wounded. The hospitals are nearly full in all the nearby large cities.

Yet, Ukrainians cling to the bridgehead near Davydov Brod, which indicates their intent to try for the third time.

Russian intelligence uncovered the plan of Ukrainian Special Op on the ZNP to capture it shortly before the IAEA mission would arrive. About 120 x 2 + 60 = 300 Ukrainian special forces fell into a trap and were destroyed.

Apart from creating tensions between Ukraine and its western allies, this failure also is likely to exacerbate strife within the Ukrainian leadership. There are reports that the Ukrainian military leader, General Zaluzhny, was at odds with President Zelensky over the timing and scale of Ukraine’s “offensive”.

This is not only a loss of face for Zelensky, it is likely a loss of support from key members of the Ukrainian government.

The icing on the cake for Russia came from the UN.

In response to a reporter asking about the military Special Op action around the nuclear facility, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric thanked Russia, but side-stepped commenting on the Special Op.