The Zaporozhye NPP during a fire following clashes around the site, on March 4, 2022. (Anadolu Agency)

Member of the main council of the military-civil administration for Zaporozhye Vladimir Rogov said that the permanent deployment of Russian troops in the region would ensure its security against attempts of external aggression.

"We want our region to have [Russian] military bases on a permanent basis," Rogov said.

He told Sputnik that a detailed discussion on the issue could be held after a referendum on joining Russia is held in Zaporozhye.

"The permanent deployment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Zaporozhye region would guarantee the region's security from attempts of external aggression and terror by Ukrainian nationalists," Rogov said.

Earlier this month, Rogov told Sputnik that Ukrainian troops, in an attempt to conduct an offensive in the Zaporozhye region, were unsuccessful, as they were met with a tough rebuff, and were forced to flee.

Kherson and most of Zaporozhye are under control by Russian forces, particularly after Donetsk and Lugansk's respective governments requested help from Russia as they were under intensive offensives by Ukrainian troops.

Ukraine attacks Europe's largest nuclear power plant with drones

On Wednesday, three Kamikaze drones belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces targeted the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, Russian media reported, citing local officials.

Located in southeastern Ukraine but under the control of Russian forces, the Zaporozhye NPP has not been damaged and its reactor was not affected as a result of the Ukrainian attack, indicated the officials.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye Region military-civil administration, told TASS that the NPP's radiation background is normal and is constantly being monitored.

This is not the first time that Zaporozhye NPP has been targeted by the Ukrainian forces. In fact, on July 12, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) dropped several 120mm shells on a building near the NPP, the press service of the Energodar city administration told RIA Novosti.

The administration's spokesperson highlighted that 11 employees were injured as a result of the attack, and four of them were in serious condition.