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Putin Turns Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Into Military Tool, Ukraine Warns
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy has warned that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) is operating under unprecedented and dangerously unstable conditions, following remarks by Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the occupied facility, according to Radio Svoboda report on September 3.
The ministry stressed that the plant is operating under conditions of “beyond-design threat,” a regime neither structurally nor procedurally anticipated, with consequences impossible to assess due to the Russian occupation.
“Since taking military control of the ZNPP, Russia has caused systemic, critically dangerous disruptions to the plant’s operation,” the statement said.
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“It is not only about the destruction of the main source of water supply for cooling reactors as a result of the explosion of the Nova Kakhovka dam, but also about the multiple shutdowns of the station from the Ukrainian power system, which have already led to the complete blackout of the facility nine times, which is a direct prerequisite for a nuclear accident,” Minenergo stated.
The ministry has accused Vladimir Putin of turning the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a military tool, warning that conditions at the site are incompatible with basic nuclear safety standards.
“In this context, the public statements of the President of the Russian Federation dated September 2, 2025 on the introduction of new, unknown management and control systems over the station should be considered as evidence of an attempt to use the ZNPP as a military tool in the further conduct of the war against Ukraine,” Minenergo claimed.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy warned that such actions pose a direct threat to nuclear safety in Europe and urged international partners to respond during the September session of the IAEA General Conference.
The ministry added that any Russian attempts to introduce new forms of “management” or “control” constitute a deliberate escalation of nuclear risk.
Previously, it was reported that International organization Greenpeace Ukraine has called for the withdrawal of Russian personnel and military units from the ZNPP ahead of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.
