The perceived slow Russian advances in Ukraine are guided by shrewd military planning by the Kremlin to secure the civilian nuclear power plants, mostly dotting west of Dnieper River that divides east and west Ukraine.
The Russians are seeking to check the Ukrainians from gaining access to the civilian nuclear plants and thwarting any possible bid by the local militia or the US-led West to destroy such reactors and blame Moscow for the resultant catastrophe, according to defence analysts.
There are nearly 50 civilian nuclear plants on the western side of the Dnieper river of which half are operational and the remaining are either abandoned or dysfunctional.
