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Russia Deliberately Cut Power to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, Greenpeace Finds
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
There is no evidence of military strikes near the power lines of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, suggesting the facility was deliberately cut off from Ukraine’s energy grid, according to the Greenpeace report published on October 1.
The findings were published following an investigation conducted with McKenzie Intelligence Services (MIS), a London-based firm specializing in satellite imagery analysis.
Experts examined high-resolution satellite photos taken on September 26, provided by Greenpeace Ukraine. According to their report, the 750 kV transmission line support structure north of reactor unit 6 showed no signs of shelling or attacks.
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“The absence of impact craters or structural damage strongly indicates that the disconnection of the Zaporizhzhia plant from Ukraine’s power grid was intentional, part of Russia’s broader attempt to seize full control of the facility,” the report stated.
Russia has repeatedly claimed the plant lost external power due to Ukrainian strikes. Greenpeace called those claims unfounded and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to respond.
“Russia’s total disregard for nuclear safety must be publicly condemned and halted by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi,” Greenpeace said.
MIS experts highlighted several key observations from the imagery:
the vertical lattice pylons supporting the 750 kV line remain upright and intact, with their crossbeam still in place;
a suspension tower is also standing, suggesting repairs should be relatively straightforward;
no craters, new or old, were visible around the pylons or transmission lines;
broader area analysis revealed no evidence of artillery or missile impacts.
Ukraine maintains a strict policy against striking nuclear facilities, further undermining Moscow’s narrative that repairs are “too dangerous” to conduct.
The last transmission line connecting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Ukraine’s grid was disconnected on September 23 at 4:56 p.m., causing the facility’s tenth blackout since Russia seized it in 2022.
Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was working with both Russia and Ukraine to restore offsite power to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which has faced prolonged outages due to Russian strikes.
The plant experienced its tenth complete loss of external power on September 23, with emergency diesel generators (EDGs) keeping critical systems operational.
ZNPP currently operates eight EDGs, with nine in standby and three under maintenance, rotating them to ensure continuous safety coverage.
The ZNPP informed the IAEA team that the site still has fuel reserves for more than 10 days of operation, with regular offsite supplies maintaining this level.
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