Russia rejects calls to return Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on March 25 that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a Russian facility and cannot be transferred to Ukraine or any other country. The ministry also ruled out the possibility of joint operation, arguing that ensuring the plant’s physical and nuclear safety would be impossible.
Moscow claims control over the plant based on its illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions in September 2022, including Zaporizhzhia (where Ukraine controls the regional capital, as well as in Kherson Oblast), following staged referendums where residents forced to vote at gunpoint.
The Kremlin falsely claimed that 98% of the population supported joining Russia and proceeded to declare annexation without any legitimate basis.
The so-called "referendums" contradicted both Ukrainian and Russian law and were recognized only by two countries — Russia and North Korea.
Kateryna Denisova"The return of the station to Russia’s nuclear sector has been a fait accompli for quite some time," the ministry said on March 25. "Transferring the Zaporizhzhia plant to the control of Ukraine or another country is impossible."
Russian forces captured the plant early in the full-scale invasion. Although the plant is no longer generating electricity, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog maintains monitors at the site, as it does at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities.
The facility has been repeatedly disconnected from Ukraine's power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. Moscow has ignored calls to relinquish control of the facility.
Ukraine continues to demand the plant’s return to its jurisdiction and rejects Russia’s claim over its territory.
During a recent phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the United States could help operate and possibly own Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Oleg Sukhov
