Introduction Of Unknown Russian Control Systems At Zaporizhzhia NPP Poses Threat To Nuclear Safety Energy Ministry

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) According to Ukrinform, this was outlined in a statement issued by the Ministry of Energy in response to comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the Zaporizhzhia NPP

“In response to the statements made by the President of the Russian Federation on September 2, 2025, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine emphasizes: Russia attacked and occupied a civilian nuclear facility-Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant-using heavy military equipment, force, and terror to block Ukraine's legitimate regulatory and operational control over the plant, which is an inalienable part of Ukrainian property,” the statement reads.

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It also notes that the plant is currently operating under conditions of a non-design basis threat-a regime not foreseen either structurally or procedurally. The consequences of such operation cannot be properly assessed due to the ongoing military occupation of the facility.

Since the establishment of military control over the ZNPP, Russia has caused systemic and critically dangerous distortions in the technical functioning of the nuclear facility.

This includes not only the destruction of the primary water supply source for reactor cooling following the demolition of the Kakhovka Dam, but also repeated disconnections of the plant from Ukraine's power grid-nine times in total-resulting in complete blackouts, a condition that directly precedes a nuclear accident.

The prolonged cold shutdown of the ZNPP, under the supervision of unidentified foreign personnel and without access for Ukraine's legitimate operator, is fundamentally incompatible with basic nuclear safety standards for a facility of this scale.

As emphasized in the statement, in this context, the public remarks made by the Russian president on September 2, 2025, regarding the introduction of new, unidentified management and control systems at the Zaporizhzhia NPP should be viewed as an attempt to use the facility as a military instrument in the ongoing war against Ukraine.

These actions pose a direct threat to the nuclear safety of the plant-and, by extension, to Europe. We call on international partners to respond urgently, particularly during the September session of the IAEA General Conference, where these threats must be clearly assessed and acknowledged at the international level.

The Ministry of Energy considers any attempt by Russia to impose new forms of“management” or“control” over the Zaporizhzhia NPP a deliberate escalation of the nuclear safety threat.

“Ukraine urges the international community to give a clear assessment of these statements and actions, taking into account their potential impact on the safety of the entire European continent,” the statement reads.

As reported by Ukrinform, on September 2, during a meeting in Beijing between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin-where the situation in Ukraine was discussed-the Russian leader stated that“if favorable conditions arise, Russia, the United States, and Ukraine could cooperate at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant".

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