Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) cannot exist unless it is controlled by Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky has claimed. The facility, the largest of its kind in Europe, has been under Moscow’s control since March 2022.
Zaporozhye Region, where the plant is located, voted to join Russia in a referendum, following years of targeting ethnic Russians in Ukraine. Since then both Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of attacking the facility and endangering its security. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deployed a monitoring mission to the ZNPP in September 2022, which has been present on the ground ever since.
According to Zelensky, the station poses a problem to both Russia and Ukraine, but in his view, only Kiev can restore its operations. “Without Ukraine, its existence is impossible in principle,” the Ukrainian leader claimed.
He went on to say that “money and specialists” are needed to restore the power plant and it would take a few years before it can be operational again, adding that the station lacks technical water to cool its reactors because of the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnieper River. Repairs at the station would involve “lots of capital-intensive processes,” Zelensky said.
“This is our station. Lost money, lost opportunities.”
The power plant has been largely dormant since mid-2023, due to the threat of Ukrainian artillery and drone attacks and the disruption of water supplies. Speaking at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in September 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of “very dangerous terrorist acts” perpetrated by Kiev’s forces against the facility.
In January, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that Ukrainian forces had sought to strike the station with eight drones. All of the unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by the Russian air defenses at that time.
The ZNPP is currently controlled by a subsidiary of the Russian state energy corporation, Rosatom. CEO Ramil Galiev stated in December that the company plans to restore the plant’s operation as soon as its security is sufficiently ensured. The plans also involve building a new pumping system to refill the technical water reservoirs near the station.
“There are no unresolvable issues,” Galiev said in December.
