The russian federation continues to use the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP not only as a tool of nuclear coercion, but also as an instrument of disinformation, seeking to create the false impression that it has lawful authority over a Ukrainian nuclear facility. Any statements or reports concerning the activities of the occupation administration installed at the Zaporizhzhia NPP must be viewed within the context of one fundamental fact: the NPP remains under illegal military occupation, and all appointments made by the aggressor state are legally null and void.
Following reports of the death of a member of the occupation administration at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, JSC NNEGC Energoatom considers it necessary to reiterate the facts concerning the lawful management of the plant and the underlying causes of the unprecedented nuclear and radiation safety threats that have arisen as a direct consequence of Russia's occupation.
The deceased individual was never the legitimate Chief Engineer of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The only lawful Chief Engineer of the ZNPP is Denys Martynenko, and JSC NNEGC Energoatom remains the sole legitimate operator of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Following the occupation of the plant in March 2022, the russian federation seized Europe's largest nuclear power plant by force and unlawfully installed an occupation administration at the facility. The individuals appointed by russia to senior positions at the plant are merely representatives of the occupation regime. They possess no legal authority or legitimacy under either Ukrainian law or international law.
russia has systematically forced the legitimate Ukrainian personnel out of the plant. In February 2024, the occupation authorities barred the last remaining qualified Energoatom personnel from performing their duties, including licensed specialists responsible for ensuring the safe operation of the nuclear facility. All Zaporizhzhia NPP employees who refused to sign the occupation authorities' imposed pseudo-employment contracts with rosatom were denied access to the plant after their entry passes were revoked.
Before the occupation, approximately 11,000 highly qualified Ukrainian nuclear professionals worked at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. For decades, these specialists ensured the safe operation of Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Unable to recruit a sufficient number of properly trained professionals, rosatom instead staffed the occupied plant with personnel lacking the necessary education, nuclear industry experience, and professional qualifications. Such staffing practices are unacceptable in the nuclear industry and constitute an additional threat to nuclear and radiation safety.
Despite persistent efforts by the occupation authorities to deprive the Zaporizhzhia NPP of its legitimate workforce, Energoatom has succeeded in preserving the plant's unique pool of expertise. Highly qualified employees, including licensed operating staff who relocated to territory under the control of the Government of Ukraine, continue to work within JSC NNEGC Energoatom and its separate subdivisions. The Company has ensured their continued employment, safeguarding the invaluable expertise and professional competence required for the safe operation of Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Once the Zaporizhzhia NPP is liberated, these Ukrainian nuclear professionals will be ready to return to the plant without delay and resume safe operation under the management of its only lawful operator - JSC NNEGC Energoatom.
russia may have temporarily occupied the industrial site of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, but it has failed to seize the plant's most valuable asset - its Ukrainian professionals.
Today, the Zaporizhzhia NPP remains held hostage by russia's military occupation. The plant has repeatedly suffered complete loss of off-site power, its premises have been militarized, and IAEA experts continue to operate under severe restrictions on access to key operational areas imposed by the occupation authorities.
The illegal occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, together with the presence of russian military forces, rosatom staff, and the kremlin-installed occupation administration, is the root cause of all nuclear and radiation safety risks at the site. Any attempt by russia to portray representatives of this occupation administration as the "management" of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant is yet another disinformation effort aimed at legitimizing its unlawful control over a seized nuclear facility.
Both the IAEA Board of Governors and the IAEA General Conference have repeatedly called upon the russian federation to end its unlawful control over the Zaporizhzhia NPP, withdraw all military personnel and other unauthorized individuals from the site, and return the facility to the control of Ukraine's competent authorities. russia has deliberately ignored these resolutions, continuing to violate international law while creating unprecedented risks to nuclear safety and security.
We call on the international community not to be misled by russia's disinformation campaign and to intensify pressure on the aggressor state to secure the demilitarization and de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Enerhodar.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has always been, and remains, a Ukrainian nuclear facility. Its sole lawful operator is JSC NNEGC Energoatom. Any appointments made by the occupation authorities are legally null and void and produce no legal effect whatsoever. The return of the Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukraine's full control is the only guarantee of restoring nuclear and radiation safety in Ukraine and across Europe.