Peace Negotiations and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

As expectations continue to swirl for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the future of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe hangs in the balance.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) remains on the front line between Russian-occupied and Ukrainian-held territory. As part of any peace agreement or cease-fire, the plant and the satellite town of Enerhodar need to be transferred out of Russian control. Leaving the ZNPP under Russian occupation will ensure that the plant remains an increasingly salient radiological threat to Ukraine and to Europe and will allow Russia to continue using the nuclear power plant to house military equipment and personnel. At the same time, ensuring the safety of the plant following a hand-over from Russian occupation will be a major undertaking; Ukrainian partners should be ready to assist.

Russian Mismanagement of Plant Operations

The ZNPP was captured by Russian forces in early March 2022 and has been under Russian control since. While the targeting of energy infrastructure is an established aspect of armed conflict, the presence of highly radioactive nuclear material at Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) makes them uniquely dangerous and – as such – irresponsible targets. Attacks on NPPs are prohibited under international humanitarian law if such attacks risk harming civilians. A direct attack on a reactor unit is not necessary to risk a serious nuclear accident; damage to water or external energy supply or to other auxiliary systems resulting from attacks or from poor maintenance – as has happened multiple times at the ZNPP – could equally lead to the failure of an NPP’s regular operating and safety systems. In the worst case, this could lead to the release of radioactive material to the surrounding environment.

According to information shared with the author, as of August 2025, at least 19 residents of Enerhodar – including at least a dozen ZNPP employees – are confirmed or suspected of being under Russian detention

Over the course of the last three and a half years, Russia has repeatedly demonstrated a serious disregard for the safety of the ZNPP and its personnel. The Russian occupiers have tortured, detained and otherwise harassed Ukrainian staff and the residents of the satellite town of Enerhodar. In July 2022, a diver at the plant died from the injuries inflicted on him by the Russian occupiers after he refused to comply with their instructions. Reports of torture of ZNPP staff have been well documented. According to information shared with the author, as of August 2025, at least 19 residents of Enerhodar – including at least a dozen ZNPP employees – are confirmed or suspected of being under Russian detention. Some of those detained have already been tried in Russia and convicted to lengthy sentences. A recent Reuters report details the extent of the harassment and intimidation to which the Russian occupiers have subjected the residents of Enerhodar.

Russia also continues to maintain a military presence – including military personnel and equipment – at the facility. Photos and videos shared on a Telegram channel monitoring Russian activity at the plant- some of which have also been reported on by Reuters – appear to show Russian military personnel discharging weapons, storing military equipment and holding barbecues on the grounds of the ZNPP. Not all of the images could be verified independently. The IAEA team located at the ZNPP has also recently reported hearing outgoing artillery fire from ‘very near the site perimeter’; Ukrainian officials have long been warning that the Russian military has been using the ZNPP to stage attacks against Nikopol and other Ukraine towns on across the Dnipro River from the plant. Ukrainian military is, for its part, unlikely to be able to mount any kind of meaningful response, at the risk of damaging the plant and causing a nuclear accident.

This is all in addition to the wider challenges and risks of operating a nuclear power plant in a war zone. This has included repeated loss of external power supply and serious challenges with water supply to the plant, which have worsened over the last few weeks. The plant is also suffering from shortages of qualified personnel. Many Ukrainian staff left after the start of the occupation. As of February 2024, personnel who had not signed contracts with Rosatom – the Russian state enterprise whose subsidiary has taken over the operation of ZNPP – have been barred from the facility. Recruiting staff from Russian NPPs to come work in a warzone cannot be an easy task; the author heard multiple stories from individuals familiar with the recent state of affairs in Enerhodar and at ZNPP of unqualified personnel being recruited to fill vacancies.

Despite all this, statements by the leadership of Rosatom (the Russian state nuclear enterprise whose subsidiary has assumed control of the ZNPP) and observed activity near the plant point to persistent Russian plans to restart operations at the plant, which would be an exceptionally irresponsible move under the current conditions. The plant’s reactors have all been in cold shutdown since spring 2024 meaning that the reactors are not generating energy and therefore have significantly reduced water, external energy and personnel requirements. Reactors in cold shutdown also allow more time and options for addressing system malfunctions and preventing a serious accident. The isotopic composition of fuel in reactors that have been in cold shutdown is also different than that of operational reactors, with the latter posing much greater risk to human health and the environment. A decision to restart the reactors would massively increase the risks of a nuclear accident and the scale and consequences of any such incident, particularly under the current wartime conditions.

The Risks of Continued Russian Control

For all of the above reasons, no peace settlement or cease-fire agreement can be complete or sustainable while Russia maintains control of the ZNPP and Enerhodar. Russian inability to operate the plant safely will only grow worse with time, as Rosatom struggles to procure spare parts for the plant’s systems, to find qualified and willing personnel to operate the plant and perform the necessary maintenance. In the meantime, the plant’s systems will continue to degrade both due to normal wear and tear and the unique stresses of wartime operation.

The Russian operators of the plant are also likely to come under increasing pressure from Rosatom leadership and the Kremlin to restart operation of at least some of the ZNPP reactor units. According to company leadership, as of 2023, Rosatom had allocated RUB 20 billion for the ZNPP and the city of Enerhodar, with another RUB 90 billion to be allocated through 2026. Meanwhile, public financial records made available on a third-party Russian webpage show that the Rosatom subsidiary that has taken over control of the ZNPP posted RUB 12 billion in net losses in 2023.