The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Jan. 15 sanctioned Russia's Federal State Unitary Enterprise Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a Moscow-created entity that took control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant in the partially occupied oblast.
The updated sanctions list also targets Vladislav Isaev, the company’s CEO since April 2024.
In October 2022, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree establishing the Russian entity to oversee the captured power plant. This followed an order from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who declared the facilities of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant as Russian federal property.
Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear station in Europe, since March 2022, and have been using the site in ways that increase the risk of a nuclear disaster. Throughout its occupation, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
The region, particularly the city of Zaporizhzhia and the areas around the nuclear power plant, has endured regular missile strikes, artillery shelling, and drone attacks.
On Jan. 8, Russian forces targeted an industrial facility in Zaporizhzhia, killing 13 people and injuring 122, including a child, according to State Emergency Service.
Francis Farrell
