OSINT analysts have geolocated footage of a test of the Russian ground robot Kurier on the territory of the captured Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Analysts believe the footage was filmed near the Unit 3 building. The video was published on Aug. 1 by the local Telegram channel Aktualny Enerhodar. The actual date of the filming, however, remains unknown.
The footage shows a tracked platform emerging from a building and performing several maneuvers. No visible weapons can be seen on the platform, and the video does not make it possible to determine the specific tasks for which the robot was being tested.
As The Insider previously reported, the Kurier has become one of the most widespread ground robotic platforms in the Russian military. It has logistics and combat modifications and can be outfitted with a machine gun, an automatic grenade launcher, electronic warfare equipment, and mine-laying gear.
Back in August 2022, The Insider published footage showing Russian military trucks entering the territory of the ZNPP.
The Insider
The outlet’s sources at the time reported the deployment of equipment, ammunition, and several hundred Russian military personnel near the reactor units. Later, plant employees recounted how Russian military personnel had stored ammunition near the turbines and had access to the reactor unit rooms.
Article 56 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions requires parties to a conflict to avoid placing military facilities near nuclear power plants (though an exception is permitted provided that military assets in the area are there solely to provide for the defense of the plant).
IAEA pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict also stipulate that the ZNPP must not be used as a base or depot for heavy weapons or as a basing location for military personnel capable of attacking from the plant. On July 30, the agency reported an increase in military activity in the area of the ZNPP and the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, describing the situation as a serious threat to nuclear safety.
