Shmyhal: Ukraine expects EU to sanction Russian nuclear industry.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 9 that Ukraine expects the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry, specifically the state nuclear operator Rosatom, in its next package of measures against the country.

He made the statement following a meeting with European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans on Jan. 9.

“We expect that the 10th (EU sanctions) package will contain restrictions against Russia’s nuclear industry, including Rosatom,” Shmyhal said in a statement on Telegram. “The aggressor must be punished for attacks on Ukraine’s energy industry and crimes against ecology.”

Shmyhal also said that Ukraine is collaborating with European partners on the demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March.

The plant, which is located in the Russian-occupied town of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has been used as a military base to launch attacks on Ukrainian-controlled territory across the Dnipro River.

After staged referendums in September, Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian oblasts in Ukraine, including Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Shmyhal and Timmermans also discussed the supply of electrical equipment and the possibility of Ukraine importing electricity from the EU, as the country’s energy sector has been damaged by Russia’s ongoing attacks on the energy infrastructure since October.

The most recent package of EU sanctions against Russia, which was approved in December, includes restrictions in the export, banking, broadcasting, consulting services, energy, and mining sectors, as well as individual sanctions.